Report: 1 team ruled out of Jonathan Taylor sweepstakes
Sep 18, 2022; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs off the field after the Indianapolis Colts are defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
The Indianapolis Colts are entertaining trade offers for Jonathan Taylor, but one team that has been linked to the star running back can apparently be ruled out of the sweepstakes.
During an interview with ESPN 1000’s Peggy Kusinski and Dionne Miller on Sunday, Adam Schefter emphatically said that the Chicago Bears do not have interest in Taylor.
Update: The #Bears aren't trading for #Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, according to @AdamSchefter
"The Bears won't be trading for Jonathan Taylor." – Schefter on @ESPN1000
(h/t @BrendanSugrue) pic.twitter.com/iqt7b9LmF9
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 27, 2023
The Bears are stocked with draft picks and have plenty of salary cap space. A recent report claimed they were one of three teams that might have legitimate interest in Taylor.
As Ryan Taylor of NBC Sports Chicago recently outlined, it never made a lot of sense for the Bears to pursue Taylor. The team chose not to re-sign workhorse running back David Montgomery earlier this offseason. Montgomery signed a 3-year, $18 million contract with the Detroit Lions. That was not exactly eye-popping money.
Acquiring Taylor would likely mean giving up at least one high draft pick plus handing out a huge contract extension. If the Bears wanted to pay a running back that kind of money, they probably would have made more of an effort to keep Montgomery.
The Bears have decent running back depth with Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman, whom they signed this offseason. They also drafted Roschon Johnson in the fourth round.
It sounds like Indy has only had real discussions about Taylor with one team, but those talks have not gone anywhere.