The Indianapolis Colts have to do without Jonathan Taylor for the start of the season. But he doesn’t want to play for the Colts anymore anyway. A tricky situation – of which general manager Chris Ballard is annoyed.

It could have all been so beautiful for the Indianapolis Colts. In 2021 they were on their way to the playoffs and Jonathan Taylor was Rushing Champ of the NFL as well as All Pro. The path to becoming a franchise running back was paved.

Two years later, the fronts have more than hardened. The parties accuse each other of lying and greed. An unsatisfactory situation for all involved.

Ballard in plain language: “This pisses me off “

General Manager Chris Ballard doesn’t see it any differently. He now found clear words at a press round. “It pisses me off. It pisses off the Colts, it pisses off Jonathan Taylor, it pisses off the fans,” he didn’t mince words.

“But,” Ballard continued, “that’s the situation and we have to deal with it.” He was far from ready to give up on his running back. “Relationships can be fixed. You can. When you get emotional, you have to deal with it.”

It won’t be easy, though, and the general manager knows that. “We have a lot of work to do. We have to work on it and find a solution,” he prefaced.

PUP list as an educational measure?

Instead of a trade, which Taylor called for weeks ago, he will start the 2023 season on the PUP list, which will keep him from playing for at least four weeks.

A move out of resentment? “No,” Ballard replied. “He needs to recover from his ankle injury. He said several times that he has pain in his ankle. We’re not going to let any player go out there in pain. We would do the same with any other player,” the 54-year-old promised.

However, he did not want to blame his starting ball carrier for anything. “That’s certainly not helpful in this situation,” Ballard knows.

So why haven’t the Colts given Taylor a new contract? “Look at the last few times we’ve extended with guys well before the end of their contract.” The general manager didn’t say it explicitly, but meant the declining production of players like Quenton Nelson or Shaq Leonard.

The Jonathan Taylor cause at the Colts is far from over. “I’m not going to just give up on this relationship,” Ballard is combative. The outcome, however, is completely up in the air.