INDIANAPOLIS -- Multiple teams would be open to a potential trade for Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, a source told ESPN on Thursday, but it remains unclear whether the Colts are ready to unload players before the trade deadline.
The Colts are still plotting their next moves after Monday's firing of general manager Chris Ballard, with many around the NFL expected to gauge the team's interest in dealing some of its key players.
Taylor, the league's active leader in rushing yards per game (89.9), wasn't ready to broach the idea when asked Thursday.
"I haven't given any thought," he said when asked about his future. "That'd be crazy right now, especially because we've got a great Minnesota Vikings team that we have to go against. I think it would be a discredit and a disservice to my teammates and this whole organization to think about what could, what should, what may be."
Taylor was a 2020 draft pick of Ballard, who went on to sign Taylor to two contract extensions. The most recent, a three-year deal, was signed in August. But depending on how the weeks between now and the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline play out, the Colts (2-4) might be inclined to consider offers for their key talents. Indianapolis faces Minnesota and Jacksonville, which have a combined 9-2 record, in its next two games.
The 2026 season was considered a pivotal one for the franchise after owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon put Ballard and coach Shane Steichen on notice that progress was expected after the disappointments of last season. It is widely expected that significant organizational changes might be coming after the eventual hire of a new GM.
Taylor, 27, ranks second to Baltimore's Derrick Henry in rushing yards since entering the league with 8,090 career yards. He has 492 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in six games this season.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, 32, is another player around whom trade speculation is swirling. Like Taylor, he declined to engage in the speculation on Thursday, saying, "I know how it works. But it's just distractions right now."
But when asked how he might react if a potential trade materialized, the 2020 first-team All-Pro didn't squash the idea.
"We'll see," said Buckner, who is scheduled to be a free agent after the season. "If that happens, we'll see how it goes."
All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson is in the final year of his deal and might be of interest to teams looking to make a postseason push. He reiterated on Wednesday his affinity for Indianapolis and the Colts organization.
Ballard was in his 10th season with the Colts and in the final year of his current contract. He was dismissed the morning after the Colts lost to the previously winless Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. The loss, which came after the Colts gave up a 13-point lead, prompted loud booing and chants of "Fire Ballard!" from the home crowd.