Indianapolis Colts in Turmoil: General Manager Fired, Star Jonathan Taylor's Wife Sparks Trade Talk in Videos
The Indianapolis Colts are in turmoil following a loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans last week, the firing of general manager Chris Ballard one day later and a follow-up loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The situation drew wider attention when the wife of the team's biggest star talked openly about her husband getting traded. Running back Jonathan Taylor's wife Ayanna Taylor posted two videos on Instagram over the weekend.
In the videos, Ayanna Taylor said "players that once seemed untouchable," like her husband, "may now be on the table" in potential trades. She said their family is on what she called "a Colts transaction watch."
Jonathan Taylor agreed with his wife's videos after Sunday's loss. "I think it's been out there already so her adding doesn't really change anything," Taylor said. "Everybody's on TikTok these days so we just have to come in to work and focus."
In her second video, Ayanna Taylor painted a bleaker picture of the team's situation. "Look at the situation that they put themselves in," she said. "They have a losing record, they just fired their 10-year GM, and they have no draft picks. How are they going to get new leadership to come in when they really have no options for new leadership to transform the team?"
She added: "Let's think about it: What do you do when you don't have what you need and you don't have the money to pay for it? ... You trade. That's what brings us back to my husband."
Taylor scored a touchdown and averaged 5.3 yards per rush against the Vikings defense. Even so, the report described him as a trade chip for interim general manager Ed Dodds.
According to the report, if Dodds can move Taylor, or DeForest Buckner, or Grover Stewart or guard Quenton Nelson, or anyone not named Tyler Warren, before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, he is likely to consider it.
Life is also tougher for head coach Shane Steichen. His team has lost 12 of its last 14 games dating back to last season and is the only team in the NFL to lose to the Titans this season.
Another major problem is whether to bench quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones threw another interception in a key situation on Sunday when the Colts were trying to rally for a go-ahead touchdown. He has thrown four touchdown passes and seven interceptions in seven games and is completing passes at a career-low clip of under 60%.
"I have not thought about a quarterback change," Steichen said after the game.
Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon put Steichen and Ballard on notice at the end of last year that expectations for this year would be high. Ballard is gone, so if the current trend continues, firing Steichen is described in the report as the next logical move.
