The saga between the Indianapolis Colts and Jonathan Taylor could take another turn.
The running back apparently reported to training camp complaining about back pain that was deemed to be pre-existing, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder.
Now, the Colts are reportedly considering putting Taylor on the non-football injury list, which could impact him being paid for the regular season.
Taylor is already on the physically unable-to-perform list, but that doesn’t impact his salary.
The Colts are still deciding what to do about Taylor and could make a decision within a week, Holder also reported.
The issue at hand is the apparent back injury that Taylor suffered while working out on his own while getting ready for the season, according to Mike Chappell of Fox 59/CBS 4.
However, Taylor denied that there was any issues with his back in a tweet late Sunday night.
“1.) Never had a back pain. 2.) Never reported back pain,” the Colts running back wrote. “Not sure who “sources” are, but find new ones.”
All of this comes following Taylor requesting a trade out of Indianapolis over the weekend and Colts owner Jim Irsay telling reporters that he wouldn’t trade Taylor.
“We will not trade Jonathan Taylor,” Irsay said, according to ESPN. “That is a certainty. Not now or not in October.”
The relationship between Taylor and the Colts seems beyond repair at this point.
Taylor is going into the final year of his rookie contract and is understandably looking for a pay raise on his next contract.
In three seasons with the Colts, he’s rushed for 3,841 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Taylor also has 802 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Still, the Colts have seemed reluctant to engage in contract negotiations with Taylor and Irsay told reports on Saturday that they had no plans on getting talks going.
“At this point, that’s not something that we’re discussing right now,” Irsay said. “This isn’t a comment that has to do with Jonathan Taylor’s situation. It’s what my responsibilities are. I’m responsible for everyone on the team and to look at the cap money that you have and to look at contracts as you go forward.”
