One of the bigger storylines involving the Green Bay Packers heading into the 2023 regular season was their involvement in the Jonathan Taylor sweepstakes. They were the mystery team, along with the Miami Dolphins, who were expressing the most interest in acquiring the 2021 league-leading rusher in a trade.
The asking price which the Colts set was reportedly very high. A first-round pick was originally believed to be what they were seeking, but they also asked the Dolphins for star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. It turns out they did something similar with the Packers.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, league sources said that Indianapolis asked Green Bay for second-year wide receiver Christian Watson in trade talks. That was something the Packers never considered and trade talks were quickly shut down. Watson isn’t someone that is available, as the source added he hasn’t been included in trade talks for anyone.
There had been some rumors that the Packers were still showing interest in Taylor after the Colts’ self-imposed deadline of August 29th passed. But, if the asking price is going to remain near what Schefter was reporting, no deal is going to be made.
He did share that the teams engaged in trade talks but nothing got particularly close to being done. It is believed that Green Bay only offered draft-pick compensation, which Indianapolis deemed not enough.
“We try to be in every conversation,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said last month. “Anytime we have good players available to us, we’d like to make the Green Bay Packers better and we’ll look at those opportunities. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
Taylor would certainly qualify as a good player that is available. But, the asking price is just too much for the Packers to entertain making a swap. On top of the compensation in a trade package, a new long-term contract would also be given to Taylor.
There were reports that was something Green Bay was willing to do. Had they acquired Taylor, there were plans in place to make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL.
