"It's a clown show" - Craig Carton mercilessly trashes Colts' 'incompetent' behavior on Jonathan Taylor trade

Jonathan Taylor is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the 2023 NFL season. To avoid playing out the dreaded contract year, especially for running backs, Taylor used the offseason to demand a long-term extension.

The Colts have refused to grant his wish, resulting in the superstar running back formally requesting a trade.

Owner Jim Irsay initially stated publicly that there was no chance that Jonathan Taylor will be traded, nor would he receive a new contract this year. He apparently changed his mind as he's now reportedly allowing Taylor to seek out a trade partner.

Craig Carton discussed this messy situation during a recent episode of The Carton Show. He bashed the Colts' organization for their poor handling of the best offensive player on their entire roster.

Here's what Craig Carton had to say:

"He is your offense right now, with all due respect to the unknown rookie quarterback. It doesn't make sense at all. You can't rationalize why they're now saying, after not getting a deal done, go find another place to play, which is almost impossible.

"And he's their best offensive player, then they say, 'You're in the last year of a rookie deal. We're not giving you any more money.' And now, two weeks before the start of the season, go find a trade. This is typical of the way Indianapolis is run. It's incompetent. It's a clown show."

While the Colts, and in particular, Jim Irsay, have developed a bit of a controversial reputation over the years, declining to give Taylor a long-term extension is right on trend for the current state of the NFL. Many teams recently decided to avoid paying a premium for running backs.

Jonathan Taylor joins a long list of disgruntled RBs during the 2023 NFL offseason

Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor is one of many unhappy running backs ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Some examples include Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and Austin Ekeler, who, like Taylor, are among the absolute best players at the position.

The other thing that they all have in common is that they failed to receive the long-term contract extensions they were seeking during the offseason.

The free agent market for running backs also took a major hit this year, with the top available players struggling to find valuable deals. Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott took massive pay cuts with their new teams, while Leonard Fournette still remains unsigned with Week 1 just days away.