Sources: Colts face big decisions on star players as trade deadline looms — SkimNews
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- Indianapolis Colts (2-4) will test their roster in three games — at Minnesota, at Jacksonville and against Dallas — before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, a plan set after general manager Chris Ballard was fired; if the stretch fails, new chief of personnel Ed Dodds, a longtime Ballard lieutenant, would work with owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon to deal resources and build for the future. League teams have been studying tape and discussing scenarios for acquiring Colts players.
- Jonathan Taylor is the splashiest name in trade talks, with the Packers, Seahawks, Broncos and Vikings among those that have pondered or are expected to consider a deal; Green Bay explored a trade in August 2023 that never materialized. Despite signing an extension just before the season, teams view the 27-year-old as a prime target, with $16 million due next season and nearly $18 million in 2028.
- Carlie Irsay-Gordon views Taylor as a key part of the organization and a likely mainstay in the rebuild, sources informed of the Colts' thinking say, so any deal for the running back would likely cost premium draft-pick compensation.
- DeForest Buckner is nearly guaranteed to leave Indianapolis after the season and is scheduled to be a free agent in 2027; the 49ers, who had him from 2016 through 2019 and traded him to the Colts for the 13th overall pick in March 2020, could make a run at him. He has already been paid a $10 million roster bonus and is due the rest of his $13 million base salary this year.
- Quenton Nelson enters the final year of his contract at 30 and has expressed interest in a long-term deal Ballard never finalized, while several playoff-worthy teams need guards; Grover Stewart, 33 and in the final year of his contract with $11.8 million base salary remaining, is an expected trade target, and Keenan Allen, also on an expiring deal, could draw interest from a contender.
- NFL trade activity has picked up: four trades have already been made this season, compared with an average of 17 from Oct. 1 to the deadline since 2022 and 18 in each of the past two seasons.
- Jerry Jeudy is another name drawing deadline chatter, but the 4-2 Browns aren't shopping him and would demand a premium deal; Jacksonville shows no signs of engaging on Brian Thomas Jr., the winless Chargers are fielding calls on Khalil Mack, and the 2-4 Cardinals could listen to meaningful offers for Josh Sweat.
Why it matters: Indianapolis has until the Nov. 10 deadline, and only three games, to change course after Ballard's firing. With 18 deals made from Oct. 1 to the deadline in each of the past two seasons, buyers for Buckner or Nelson face a crowded market, while a Taylor deal would likely require premium draft picks.
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