The Indianapolis Colts could be paying their running back a ton of money when it comes time for his next contract.
So much so, that Taylor could even be poised to reset the market for running backs across the league once the time for his new contract hits in the eyes of NFL.com analyst Anthony Holzman-Escareno.
Holzman-Escareno recently outlined his projections for who could be the next highest-paid player at their respective positions across the NFL in the near future, where Taylor was placed squarely at the top of the running backs list as a name who could challenge the likes of Saquon Barkley for the top dollar for rushers.
"As a second-round pick, Taylor avoided the fifth-year option and signed three-year extension at just 24 years old prior to 2023," Holzman-Escareno wrote. "This puts him in line to be an unrestricted free agent at 28 in 2027. With the cupboard bare of running backs who are poised to legitimately challenge for the All-Paid crown, Taylor is shunted to the top of the list -- with two players not yet eligible for an extension getting space in the 'on the radar' section below."
"Although a high ankle sprain did knock him out for three games, Taylor finished last season on an absolute heater, totaling a league-leading 627 rush yards and six touchdowns in Indy's final four games," Holzman-Escareno wrote. "The only concern with Taylor has been health. On the field, he's averaged 100-plus rushing yards per game in two of his first five NFL seasons. The only players to do that more times to start their careers? Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson."
The market for running backs across the NFL is seemingly on the rise, with names like Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey at or around $20 million annually as some of the best at their positions, which could inevitably lead to big things for Taylor's value moving forward.
Taylor has certainly proven worthy of being dubbed as one of the top-paid backs in the game, and for the Colts, they could definitely be the ones to pay him after five years of being in the fold, going on more for this season and next.
The biggest questions for the Colts may be how they view Taylor's value in terms of long-term fit on the roster, especially when factoring in his durability. Once the 2027 offseason hits, he'll be 28 years old, and any contract he were to sign likely pays him big dollars once he crosses the 30-mark.
In the backfield, only a select few guys throughout NFL history have been able to sustain that peak-level production that far into their career, and considering Taylor's injury history throughout his time in Indianapolis, conversations could be had as to just how confident this brass is in his sustainability for the long haul.
For the meantime, though, Taylor is signed and on board for the next two seasons in Indianapolis, and seems primed to put together a couple more years of top-tier production at the running back position, putting him on track to soon be one of the top-paid guys in the backfield throughout NFL history.
-1746947325-q80.webp "How Have the Yankees Most Notable Offseason Acquisitions Graded Out This Season?")
-1741417401-q80.webp "Chris Drury wanted to show Rangers he believes in playoff ‘push’ with measured trade deadline")
