In the unexpected position (considering the Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns injuries) of the NFC East’s midseason leader, the Giants have been connected to a string of buyer’s trades. A franchise that regularly ends up in seller rumors at deadlines appears quite eager to buy this year.
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John Harbaugh** looked to express some frustration with the Jeffery Simmons sweepstakes, leaving Amy Adams Strunk a voicemail after seeing GM Joe Schoen shut out of long-running talks (via The Athletic’s Michael Silver) between former Boston College roommates Mike Borgonzi and Ryan Poles, but the Giants may be in pole position to land the other available star from the AFC South.
The Giants have not met the Colts’ lofty asking price, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who labels New York a “serious suitor” — perhaps more so than the Broncos and Vikings. Denver and Minnesota do not appear as interested as meeting Indianapolis’ price point. Although the Vikings were mentioned alongside the Giants as Taylor frontrunners over the weekend, the Colts have a big price set.
Indy wants either a first-round pick or the equivalent of that price, something along the lines of what the 49ers collected for Christian McCaffrey four deadlines ago, Breer notes. Considering McCaffrey’s involvement in the passing game and his limited carry count (compared to 2026 Taylor, that is), he fetched second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks from a 49ers team competing with at least two others (the Bills and Rams). If the Broncos, Vikings and others are not willing to go where the Giants are, the Colts will face a decision.
A report late last month indicated Carlie Irsay-Gordon did not want to trade Taylor, but rumblings soon emerged that the former rushing champion was indeed available at the right price. The Packers, Bengals, Seahawks and, believe it or not, Chiefs were subsequently connected to the former Wisconsin star. The Giants “really want” Taylor, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, but the Colts’ “extraordinarily high price” has generated questions around the league about if he is truly attainable.
While the Eagles are not planning to trade Saquon Barkley and the Jets intend to retain Breece Hall, other backs could still be available for less than what the Colts are asking for Taylor. Derrick Henry’s name has come up recently, and Vacchiano adds the Titans’ Tony Pollard might be a Taylor backup plan for the Giants. Pollard is in the final season of a three-year, $21.75MM contract; after this week’s Tennessee game, Pollard will be owed $3.17MM this season. Teams have called the Titans on Pollard.
Taylor will be owed $3.28MM for the season’s remainder, but his contract runs through 2028. Teams considering meeting the Colts’ asking price are probably not looking at Taylor as a rental, but his 2027 salary ($15MM) does not become fully guaranteed until Day 5 of the ’27 league year. That does provide some flexibility, even though an acquiring team should be expected to retain the soon-to-be 28-year-old back next season.
Harbaugh benched Cam Skattebo after fumbling issues but reinstalled him as the Giants’ lead back in Week 7 — an overtime win over the Texans. Backup Devin Singletary, who stepped in following Tyrone Tracy’s hamstring injury (which led him to IR), iced that game with a walk-off touchdown run. But the run of Taylor-Giants connections suggests Harbaugh views his run game as needing another gear. Taylor would provide that, but the Colts — down their 2027 first-round pick because of the Sauce Gardner trade — are asking a lot to part with one of the best running backs in team history.
It will be worth wondering if the Giants pivot to Pollard or Henry, who is on a veteran-minimum 2026 base salary and carries a nonguaranteed $11MM 2027 paragraph 5 figure, should the Colts not reduce their Taylor price. The Colts are believed to have rejected an offer of a second-round pick and at least one other draft asset. Considering the Giants’ string of Taylor ties, speculation certainly points to them having made that offer. A subsequent report on this trade market suggested the Colts would lower their price to a second-rounder, rather than risk Taylor losing value as a trade asset amid a fire sale. With no deal coming (in all likelihood) until after Week 9, we are close to finding out.
The Broncos have seen some promising early returns from fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman, and even though they are down RJ Harvey for at least three more games, the team does have J.K. Dobbins as insurance. The injury-prone vet is struggling, but a Broncos team that has traded four first-round picks and three second-rounders since 2022 would probably be wise to bow out here. The Vikings have Jordan Mason back at work after activating him off IR, but Aaron Jones is 31 and has battled injuries in recent years.
Also expecting the Giants to land a defensive tackle — as they have been connected to several in recent days — Vacchiano predicts the team will land Taylor. New York does not hold fourth- or fifth-round picks in the 2027 draft; dealing away earlier selections would leave the NFC East team without much capital next year.
In an NFC featuring more talented teams, the Giants will need to be careful about how much they want to pay for talent now. Harbaugh and other current NFL execs were annoyed by what Silver points to being an “off-the-grid” deal between Borgonzi and Poles. The ex-Chiefs coworkers agreed on a monster package that sent two first-rounders to the Titans.
That said, Silver adds the Giants were not prepared to trade two firsts for Simmons. But after trying and failing to land the All-Pro DT from the Titans, the team appears intent on getting something big done before the deadline.