Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is now a much richer man. The star seventh-year back will sign a two-year contract extension with his team that pays him a base value of $44 million, $39 million of which is guaranteed, according to multiple reports. The contract has a maximum value of $47 million.
The deal comes together just days after Atlanta Falcons star Bijan Robinson signed a new deal with a base value of $22.75 million per year, which clearly set the market for running back contracts. Taylor now becomes the second-highest-paid running back in the NFL in terms of average annual value, jumping ahead of Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley, who sits at $20.6 million.
The $39 million full guarantee, meanwhile, slightly surpasses Robinson for the most ever for a running back, excluding Jeremiyah Love’s fully guaranteed rookie-scale contract as the No. 3 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, according to Over the Cap.
Taylor had been heading into the final season of the three-year, $42 million extension he signed in 2023. He is set to draw a base salary of $11.98 million in 2026 while counting for $15.562 million against the cap.
Taylor led the NFL in both carries (323) and rushing touchdowns (18) last season, and has run for at least 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns in each of the last two years. He’s heading into his age-27 season and is the clear centerpiece of the Indianapolis offense.
The Colts started last season absolutely on fire offensively under quarterback Daniel Jones, leading the league in scoring for the first half of the season. They slowed down a bit after Jones suffered an initial leg injury, then suffered further after Jones tore his Achilles and the team had to turn to Philip Rivers, whom they signed off the street. With Jones back healthy in time for training camp, they are trying to recapture the form they had at the start of last year, and Taylor is clearly one of the keys to their doing so.
Of course, the Colts also spent a bunch of money to retain Jones this offseason, handing him a two-year, $88 million contract to return to the fold. Field-stretching wide receiver Alec Pierce also received a big-money contract, with the Colts re-signing him for $114 million over four years. Indianapolis is now clearly counting on that trio to hold down the fort down the offense over the next couple of years.
