Report: Indianapolis Colts 'considering' placing Jonathan Taylor on non-football injury list amid contract dispute

In a shocking development, the Indianapolis Colts are considering placing their franchise tailback, Jonathan Taylor, on the non-football injury list, according to Mike Chappell of FOX59 and CBS4 Sports. According to Chappell, Taylor suffered some sort of back injury while working out on his own in Arizona. He’s also still rehabbing from ankle surgery that he had in January.

If they actually placed him on the non-football injury list, it could result in the Colts withholding his regular-season salary for the 2023-2024 season, according to Stephen Holder.

Taylor is currently on the physically unable to perform, or the PUP list. He formally requested a trade after meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay on July 29th. He’s been in the middle of a nasty contract negotiation this offseason.

According to Spotrac, if he does decide to hold out in fall camp, the former Wisconsin superstar will be fined $40,000 per day missed by the Colts franchise. He also risks losing an accrued season for 2023, which would render him a restricted free agent next March, instead of an unrestricted player.

Taylor was one of the best running backs in the 2020 NFL Draft, ultimately being selected by Indianapolis in the second round with the No. 41 overall pick. He quickly became one of the top backs in the league despite the Colts not having a ton of success during his time.

When looking at the resume, the awards really stacked up during the 2021 season. Taylor was named a first-team All-Pro. It was justified as well after Taylor led the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

In 17 games played, Taylor rushed for 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns on 332 attempts (also at the top of the league). A truly incredible sophomore season from him, even if there is an extra game in there.

For his career thus far, he’s carried the rock 756 times for 3,841 rushing yards, while racking up 33 total touchdowns. As a receiver, he’s hauled in 104 catches for 802 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Taylor is entering his fourth season in the NFL and the last of his rookie contract.

During his prolific college career with the Wisconsin Badgers, Taylor shattered numerous records and racked up an extensive number of accolades, including winning the Doak Walker Award in back-to-back seasons (2018 and 2019). He was also named a unanimous All-American both of those seasons, too.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.