Another day, another big money deal for a running back in the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts and Jonathan Taylor have come to terms on a 2 year extension worth $44M on Thursday.
The deal features $39M in guaranteed money, and can be worth as much as $47M if all incentives are reached. Taylor’s pact comes just 2 days after Falcons running back Bijan Robinson inked a record setting deal of his own, and likely paves the way for Lions tailback Jahmyr Gibbs to ink a big money extension as well.
The 27 year old is now under contract through the 2028 season as he was preparing to enter the final year of his previous contract signed back in 2023. The 5’10”, 226lbs bruiser rushed for a league high 18 touchdowns on 323 touches in 2025. When all was said and done the 6 year veteran notched 1,585 yards on the ground while adding a career high 378 yards through the air.
Over the last two seasons, only Baltimore’s Derrick Henry has seen more rushing attempts than Taylor, leading to the Wisconsin alum seeking some job security beyond the upcoming NFL campaign. While he suited up for all 17 games last season, Taylor has battled injury issues over the years, notably being limited to 21 total games between 2022-2023.
The former 2nd round pick will now have a legitimate shot to set the Colts all time rushing record if he can remain healthy over the course of his new deal. Taylor currently sits at 7,598 yards on the ground, putting him 1,628 yards shy of Edgerrin James’ franchise record.
A 3x Pro Bowler, Taylor has twice led the NFL in rushing TDs (2021 and 2025) and figures to once again be the focal point of the Colts offence in 2026.
Indianapolis crumbled down the stretch last year, and were especially inefficient when starting QB Daniel Jones went down with a torn Achilles tendon. Jones has been working hard at his rehab program all offseason and has said he’s happy with where his recovery is at currently.
Still, if Jones is unable to go for the start of the regular season, one can expect to see an added emphasis on the ground game in the early goings for the Colts.
Indianapolis is scheduled to kick off their preseason against the Patriots on Thursday August 13th, followed by contests against the Falcons and Lions. They’ll then begin their 2026 regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on September 13th.
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.