By the way, only video game I still play is Madden, and I usually follow the philosophy of using a running back for about three seasons, trading him for a lineman, and drafting another running back. I'm generally in line with the real life NFL in being hesitant to spend a significant amount of cap space on a running back.
Still, I'm a Bills fan, and I needed to watch Taylor absolutely wreck us during the regular season a couple years ago.
Everything is set for the Colts to make the right decision, and make Taylor one of the top, if not the top paid running back in the NFL.
He is one of the best. He's only had one injury throughout college and the NFL, which was unfortunately timed. He should be making Christian McCaffery money when his rookie deal is done.
The Colts can afford to do it. They have the sixth most cap space in the NFL. Their presumed starting quarterback is Anthony Richardson, a rookie who they don't have to worry about paying for four to five seasons.
Zack Moss, the former Bills running back who was supposed to backup Taylor this season just broke his arm, and is gonna miss significant time.
Even if Richardson pans out as a future Hall or Famer, the Colts are gonna need a robust run game for a couple seasons.
The writing is on the fucking wall.
If I'm in a position of power with the Colts, I'm promising Taylor a contract worth $16.5 million a year for four years after the expiration of his rookie contract.
That way, Taylor's contract will expire about the time that the Colts will need to pay Richardson if he pans out, and they use his fifth year option. Taylor will be pushing thirty at that point, and the Colts could easily drop him into free agency at that time, or pay him less if there's a stark falloff in production.
Letting Taylor go right now, or holding him captive and pissing him off right now, is franchise suicide.
He's the best offensive, skilled player on the team. Richardson is gonna need help just like Josh Allen did with my Buffalo Bills.
I get some of the other teams' reasoning for not paying their star running backs.
The Giants tried to placate Barkley with an extra million dollars over the franchise tag, which seemed to work for the moment. But, that's also in the context of the Giants having the fifth lowest cap space in the NFL, and paying Daniel Jones.
The Cowboys and Pollard are a little weird; but. Pollard was the guy who signed the franchise tag right away.
The Raiders and Josh Jacobs makes sense. It doesn't make sense in that the Raiders are being smart. It makes sense in regard to Josh McDaniels being a fucking moron as a head coach and not seeing what he has in Jacobs.
The Colts are absolutely mystifying me.
If anything, the Colts are in a 49ers type position. Neither teams are paying quarterbacks right now. Maybe the 49ers will be giving bags of money to Brock Purdy or (long shot) Trey Lance in a bit; but, they're paying McCaffery despite his injury history. Both of the 49ers' viable quarterbacks will be up for new contracts before Richardson.
Seriously, just pay Taylor and have this done with.