Colts RB Jonathan Taylor Refutes Back Pain Reports

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor refuted media reports that he is suffering from pre-existing back pain and the Colts are considering putting him on the non-football injury list.

In a tweet posted Sunday night, Taylor said he does not have back pain and never reported it. “Not sure who ‘sources’ are, but find new ones,” Taylor wrote.

Earlier on Sunday, ESPN’s Stephen Holder reported that, according to a source, Taylor had reported to training camp “complaining of back pain that was deemed to be from a pre-existing issue.” If Taylor were placed on the non-football injury list, the Colts could withhold part of his salary. While witholding of salary is rare, it's a possibility if a team believes a player's lack of responsibility led to the injury.

Taylor formally requested a trade Saturday after meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay, per Ian Rapoport.

Early on Saturday, The Athletic’s James Boyd relayed a quote from Irsay, where he name-checked Taylor while implying that the league moves on without individuals. “If I die tonight and Jonathan Taylor is out of the league, no one’s gonna miss us,” Irsay said.

Hints of a disintegrating relationship between Taylor and Irsay have been evident in the past few days. On July 26, Irsay tweeted about the new collective bargaining agreement, mentioning “bad faith” being pushed by some agents. Malki Kawa, who Taylor recently hired as his new agent, replied, “Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player.”

After three stellar seasons at Wisconsin, Taylor was drafted 41st overall by the Colts in 2020. In 2021, Taylor led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, with 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns. In 2022, Taylor ran for 861 yards and scored four touchdowns, although injuries kept him out of six games.

Taylor is currently on the Colts’ PUP (physically unable to perform) list, and has not participated in training camp so far.