Jonathan Taylor Agrees to Two-Year, $44 Million Colts Extension After Bijan Robinson Deal

Jonathan Taylor isn’t going anywhere. The Indianapolis Colts and their star running back agreed to terms Thursday on a two-year, $44 million extension that can max out at $47 million, with $39 million guaranteed, according to Taylor’s agent Malki Kawa of First Round Management, who informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The new money locks Taylor in through the 2028 season.

The timing is no accident. Taylor’s deal lands just two days after Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson reset the running back market with his own record-setting extension, and it continues a summer in which teams have scrambled to keep their premier ball carriers off the open market. Taylor, who turns 28 during the life of this deal, was set to play out the final season of the three-year, $42 million contract he signed in 2024. Instead, the Colts moved early, giving him the largest third contract any running back has ever received.

A Third Payday Few Backs Ever See

Running backs rarely get to a third contract at all, let alone one of this size. Taylor’s guarantee of $39 million ranks as the third-largest guarantee for a running back in league history, trailing only the top-of-market deals struck this offseason. It’s a striking outcome for a player who has now spent his entire seven-year career in Indianapolis after the Colts drafted him in the second round out of Wisconsin in 2020.

The production backs up the price tag. Taylor led the NFL in rushing yards in 2025 with 1,585 on 323 carries, a 4.9-yard average, while also pacing the league with 18 rushing touchdowns and 20 total touchdowns. That performance earned him his third Pro Bowl selection and reinforced his standing as one of the league’s most complete backs — a workhorse who can still hit the home run, evidenced by a long run of 83 yards on the season. For a Colts team that finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs despite that production, retaining Taylor was viewed as a non-negotiable building block rather than a luxury.

What the Money Means for Colts Futures and Taylor Props

From a betting standpoint, this is the kind of roster-certainty move that sportsbooks watch closely heading into a new season. Indianapolis opened August with a win total of 7.5 (-140 to go over, +115 for the under) and sat at +380 to win the AFC South, with Super Bowl odds hovering around +6000 — long enough that books clearly weren’t pricing in a Colts breakthrough. Locking up the engine of the offense removes one of the larger variables that could have depressed those numbers even further; a Taylor holdout, trade request, or contract dispute would have been the kind of story that nudges a win total down before a snap is played.

Instead, the extension reinforces Taylor’s floor in rushing yardage and touchdown props for 2026, markets where he’s already been a perennial favorite given his usage rate and goal-line role. With his role and financial commitment secured, oddsmakers and bettors alike can treat Taylor’s workload projection as settled rather than speculative — a meaningful distinction in a division where Indianapolis is chasing Jacksonville and Houston. The broader RB market context matters too: with Robinson’s deal and now Taylor’s landing within 48 hours of each other, futures traders tracking Offensive Player of the Year and rushing yards leader markets will want to watch how Taylor’s odds respond once sportsbooks digest the news that he’s not just healthy and productive, but contractually secure for multiple seasons to come.