The Minnesota Vikings are likely buyers ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, and one of the biggest dream targets is Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. Getting the Pro Bowl running back to add an explosive threat to the ground game could signal an all-in approach by the Vikings, and that dream took an important step forward when the Colts traded Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks.
According to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, the Colts are receiving a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick from the Seahawks in exchange for Nelson. Pelissero also added that the Colts “had serious trade interest in Nelson and DeForest Buckner, and no one was expected to be off limits if they decided to sell.
While the Colts aren't guaranteed to trade Taylor, the first hurdle to getting him to Minnesota was Indianapolis being open for business. Tuesday’s trade is a step in the right direction and could prompt the Vikings to make a call in the next two weeks.
Jonathan Taylor would add a jolt to the Minnesota Vikings backfield
The Vikings had high hopes for their rushing game this season, but despite significant changes to the scheme and mentality from assistant coach Frank Smith and offensive line coach Keith Carter, Minnesota ranks 21st with 4.0 yards per carry after Week 7.
Part of this isn’t the Vikings’ fault. Jordan Mason missed five weeks with a thumb fracture after he was injured in the season-opening win over the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Jones was a workhorse in his absence but is dealing with a sprained MCL that forced him to exit Sunday’s win over the Colts.
While Mason returned in that game and led Minnesota with 15 carries, he managed just 68 yards with a long attempt of 12 yards. With sixth-round rookie Demond Claiborne still not ready to contribute, the Vikings lack explosiveness on the ground and also a potential depth problem even if head coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t willing to admit it, which creates the potential to trade for Taylor.
Taylor is one of the league’s biggest stars at the position. While he’s averaging a career-low 4.2 yards per carry, he’s been productive with 587 yards and eight touchdowns. More importantly, he’s a big- play threat the Vikings do not have on the ground, with more runs of 10 or more yards (17) than the Vikings have as a team (12) this season.
One of those runs was a 38-yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Vikings on Sunday, and he finished with a strong effort totaling 95 yards on 18 carries with a pair of catches for 15 yards. For a team struggling to get its passing game going, Taylor would be a nice security blanket, but the final step is finding a way to get a deal done.
Vikings' pursuit of Taylor could be complicated
Unlike Nelson and Buckner, Taylor is in a different situation after signing a two-year, $44 million extension this offseason. While that makes him a potential multi-year solution, Minnesota would have to find a way to fit Taylor’s $16.1 million cap hit onto the roster.
Over the Cap also projects the Vikings with $6.2 million in cap space, meaning they'd have to send a player with salary back to Indianapolis to make a deal happen. Minnesota does have candidates if it wants to trade Mason ($5.7 million) or Jones ($5 million) in the final years of their contracts. But that could rip a hole in the locker room after waiting for Mason’s return and praising Jones’s “warrior” mentality in his absence.
Jauan Jennings could also make sense as a way to clear salary space, as he has a $9.5 million cap hit on a one-year deal. But Indianapolis may not want that piece in return unless the Vikings include additional draft capital.
That capital is the final piece of the puzzle. The most recent example of a player of Taylor’s caliber being traded at the deadline is the 2022 deal that sent Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers. While that deal has had a massive impact for San Francisco, it also came at a price: Carolina got a second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-round pick.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan added that the current price for Taylor could be “a second-round pick and possibly more,” and ESPN's Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday that while ownership doesn't want to trade Taylor, it could be a ploy to drive up the price.
If the deal is similar to Nelson, it may be worth it. But with Taylor’s contract, it may be more than that, putting first-year general manager Nolan Teasley in a tough spot.
For now, it’s clear the Colts are willing to make anyone on the roster available, and by trading Nelson, they’ve let the Vikings and the rest of the NFL know that they’re open for business.
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