Jonathan Taylor says he hasn't asked out as the Colts keep selling

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor said Thursday he has not requested a trade, a day after receiver Josh Downs did.

"I haven't heard anything, and I can't control that," Taylor said. "Obviously, you guys know that I'm always proud to wear the horseshoe, proud to be here."

It is a nice answer, and it changes very little. Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner were proud Colts too, right up until Tuesday, when Indianapolis sent Nelson to Seattle for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth and sent Buckner to San Francisco for a 2027 fourth. Taylor knows how that went. "It was all speculation until stuff started happening," he said. "Those guys are the gold standard of the NFL."

He pushed back on the word everyone else is using. "You think we're rebuilding?" Taylor asked a reporter. "No one goes out there to wave the white flag. We're going out there to compete."

The roster says otherwise. The Colts are 2-5, fired general manager Chris Ballard a week before the Nelson and Buckner deals, and now have Downs asking out in the last year of his rookie contract. Several teams have called about Taylor, according to ESPN, and he is the best asset Indianapolis has left. He signed an extension in August that runs through 2028, so a team getting him gets more than a rental.

Taylor said he spoke this week with principal owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon but would not share what was said. He has been through this before. He asked for a trade during his 2023 contract standoff, and he sounded like a player who expects nothing. "You know that the day always comes," he said. "Whether you like it or not, the day may come."

Coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday that Taylor had not asked to be moved, and Taylor confirmed it himself Thursday. Whether he stays is up to Irsay-Gordon and whoever is running football operations now, and the Colts have already shown how they are leaning.

What to watch: The Colts play at Jacksonville on Sunday, and the trade deadline is Nov. 10. Any Taylor deal will tell you how far this teardown goes.