Jonathan Taylor's agent responds to Jim Irsay's comments on NFL running back situation

It’s no secret the running back position is the most undervalued in the NFL. It’s a constantly rotating door that sees even the best players struggle to earn top dollars compared to the rest of the skill positions on offense.

So it’s understandable that Indianapolis Colts star RB Jonathan Taylor‘s agent, Malki Kawa, is ticked off that his client hasn’t earned a contract extension yet.

Kawa responded to a tweet that Colts owner Jim Irsay posted about the current state of contract negotiation with running backs in the NFL today.

“We have negotiated a CBA (collective bargaining agreement), that took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides..to say now that a specific Player category wants another negotiation after the fact, is inappropriate. Some Agents are selling ‘bad faith’..” Irsay wrote on Twitter.

To which Kawa responded: “Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player.”

To be fair, the 2022 season was Taylor’s first in the league with fewer than 1,000 rushing yards — although, that’s because he was only able to suit up for 11 games and underwent surgery after the season for an injured right ankle. There’s a chance the Colts want to see how the running back bounces back before adding years to his contract.

Though, the latest trend for NFL running backs isn’t very reassuring. For whatever reason, league teams haven’t been investing as heavily in tailbacks as they have been historically — especially beyond their first contract.

Several quality running backs were released this offseason to spare salary cap room. Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott are still on the open market. Saquon Barkley finally got his deal done — but it was for a one-year, $11-million deal. It’s unclear where Taylor will stand among the rest of the league’s top backs.

New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara still comes in at No. 1, earning $15 million per year. Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Aaron Jones and Nick Chubb round out the top five — they’re the only ones, aside from Barkley, who will make more than $10 million this season. All five will make at least $12 million in 2023, according to Spotrac.

Taylor would obviously love to be the seventh, but if the Colts aren’t willing to pay — as his agent put it — their most talented offensive weapon, they should deal him away to a team that would love to give him the money he wants.