Jonathan Taylor trade deadline: the second-round pick question the Colts face by Tuesday

The Jonathan Taylor trade story took another turn on Sunday night. After the Giants beat the Eagles 19-11, head coach John Harbaugh did not dispute a report that New York had pulled its offer for the Indianapolis Colts running back, while insisting the Giants are open to a deal. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, so the next 48 hours decide whether Taylor moves.

What did the Giants offer for Jonathan Taylor?

According to reporting on Harbaugh's comments, Fox's Jay Glazer reported that the Giants offered second- and fifth-round picks and then took the offer off the table when Indianapolis did not accept. Harbaugh's response was careful. 'I'm not saying that report's not true,' he said, adding that those conversations are taking place.

He also left room to move. 'I'd say we're open for any kind of situation, but I will say this, things do change,' Harbaugh said, according to coverage of his remarks, and he made clear the Giants will not pay an exorbitant price for a short-term fix.

Why are the Colts holding out?

The Colts are 2-7 and in sell mode, and Adam Schefter reported that they have kept a high price on Taylor. That matters because a rebuilding team gains nothing from selling a star running back at a discount. If a contender will not pay close to what Indianapolis wants, keeping him costs the Colts little.

There is also a timing trick in how these deals work. A pulled offer is often a negotiating move as much as a break-up. Reporters can write that a team walked away, the other side hears it, and the price conversation restarts. Harbaugh's 'things do change' line fits that reading, though nothing in the public reporting confirms it.

Who else could trade for Jonathan Taylor?

NFL.com's ranking of seven trade fits puts the Green Bay Packers first, because their ground game averages just 60.6 yards per game, the league's worst. It then lists the Vikings, Giants, Broncos, Bengals, Commanders and Patriots. The same piece notes Taylor has 18 runs of 10 or more yards and 35 forced missed tackles this season.

Reporting from earlier this season also suggested the Broncos and Vikings might be less inclined to move for him than before, so the Giants are not the only team whose appetite matters. A bidding contest is the one thing that would pull the Colts' price down to meet a buyer.

What happens at the deadline?

For the Giants the calculation is straightforward. A team that wants a running back for the stretch run has to weigh the picks it gives up against a few months of production, and Harbaugh has said plainly that the club will not overpay for a short-term fix. For the Colts, every day closer to the deadline raises the pressure to accept a fair offer, but the reporting so far suggests Indianapolis is comfortable waiting.

It is also worth separating two ideas that fans tend to merge. A trade being unlikely is not the same as a trade being finished. Harbaugh's own words, that those conversations are taking place, are the clearest public signal that talks have not ended, whatever the headlines about a pulled offer suggest.

There are three realistic outcomes. The Giants and Colts find a number in the middle, another team steps in with a better pick, or Taylor stays in Indianapolis for the rest of the season. The Colts have shown little urgency, and the Giants have shown they will walk away. When both sides think time is on their side, deals tend to be struck in the final hours or not at all.

Our read: a second-round pick plus a fifth is a fair opening bid for a running back, and the Colts' refusal says more about their bargaining position than about Taylor's value. If no team meets the price by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, expect the same story to return in the offseason.