When it comes to running back contracts, much of the focus has been on the guys who are (or, as to one of them, were) holding in: Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
There’s another running back who wants a new deal. But he has been practicing (and, in turn, risking the kind of injury that would immediately end all negotiations and give Taylor no security beyond 2026).
While it remains to be seen whether, and what, Gibbs gets paid, Taylor’s new deal could be coming. There’s talk that Taylor may end up with a two-year extension.
Taylor, who signed a three-year, $42 million extension in 2023 after negotiations that got contentious and at times ugly, is entering the final year of his contract. He’s due to earn a base salary of $11.98 million with per-game roster bonuses that total $1.02 million.
Taylor apparently learned about the new Robinson deal from reporters, during a Tuesday press conference.
“I gotta go talk to my agent, too,” Taylor said, via James Boyd of The Athletic. “I have faith, so I’m gonna tap in and check in with him, now that you guys broke the news to me.”
For Taylor, 27, this is likely his last shot at a big contract. And if it’s going to be a two-year extension, Taylor could match the Robinson new-money APY of $22.25 million with a three-year, $57.5 million deal.
That would put Taylor at a total average of $19.167 million through 2028.
We’ll see where it goes. But, again, the fact that he’s practicing means there’s a non-zero chance any and all pending offers will instantly go away.
