INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for the Indianapolis Colts. A week after firing general manager Chris Ballard, the Colts have since traded nine-year guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks and seventh-year Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the 49ers.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is next in trade talks, and he addressed the rumors on Thursday.
“I haven’t heard anything, and I can’t control that,” Taylor said. “I’m always proud to wear the Horseshoe, proud to be here. Hopefully, that day may not come. But I can’t control that. Only thing I can control is rallying these guys in the locker room, helping us put together a great plan, and executing a great plan for Jacksonville.”
After a 2-5 start to the season, and with the Colts trading two foundational pieces, Taylor said he’s disappointed to see his two teammates move on after a rough start.
“It was all speculation until stuff started happening,” Taylor said. “Quenton (Nelson), Buck (DeForest Buckner), those guys are the gold standard of the NFL and obviously the business side of things — that’s where it sucks. I wish some way, somehow, I could have done more because I wanted to win for those guys. We wanted to get it done here with those guys. I know that especially Q [Quenton Nelson], he’s part of the guys who laid the groundwork. So, they’re definitely going to be missed.”
Amidst the trade rumors surrounding the Colts locker room, Taylor says it’s important to stay focused on beating a Jacksonville team that may be ‘licking their chops’ against a Colts team riding a three-game losing streak.
“Backs are against the wall,” Taylor said. “All the outside noise. Everyone’s against us. Everyone has something negative to say, but as of now, we’re right here in the moment. We got to go down there and we got to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is a division game. No matter what the fans may think, guys are in this locker room and we’re preparing to go out there and get a win. This is not a lost cause. We’re going out there to go put our best foot forward to go and beat the Jacksonville Jaguars because we know they’re probably licking their chops right now. Like, kick these guys where they’re down, but that’s not it at all.”
27-year-old Taylor has rushed for 587 yards and 8 touchdowns through seven games this season. The 2-5 Colts will hit the road and face the 4-2 Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday, November 1.
The NFL trade deadline ends on Tuesday, November 10 at 4 p.m.
