Josh Downs requests trade from Colts; Jonathan Taylor hasn't, coach says

Downs wants out, Taylor says he hasn't asked

Colts receiver Josh Downs has requested a trade, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, while running back Jonathan Taylor has not, according to coach Shane Steichen. Downs is a fourth-year receiver in the final year of his rookie contract. Multiple teams have expressed interest in trading for him, but the lack of movement on a deal despite Indianapolis's clear rebuilding plan is what prompted the request, per sources.

Taylor's name has come up in trade talk too. Multiple teams have expressed interest in trading for him, according to ESPN sources, but when reporters asked Steichen directly on Wednesday whether Taylor had requested a trade, he said, "no." Steichen called the talk "hypothetical things right now" and added, "JT's on our football team."

Downs did not deny his own situation when reporters asked about it Wednesday. "I'm open to whatever," he said. "Whatever comes my way, come my way." Asked about his focus with Jacksonville up next, he said, "I'm here right now. I'm where my feet are." He added, "We got the Jags this weekend and so I'm in the game plan."

A tough season sits behind the request

Downs, 25, has 26 catches for 307 yards and no touchdowns this season. He has posted a career-low catch rate of 56.5% of his targets. Without No. 1 receiver Alec Pierce and with inconsistent play from quarterback Daniel Jones, Downs has regularly drawn a second defender in his area, limiting the Colts' passing options.

Indianapolis is tearing down what it just built

The request comes a day after the Colts dealt two veteran starters. Guard Quenton Nelson went to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner went to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Steichen was asked whether Nelson and Buckner had requested trades themselves and said he would keep that "private."

The moves came a week after the Colts fired longtime general manager Chris Ballard. Steichen asked his team to stay focused. "Anytime you lose guys like that, it hurts," he said. "But that's the NFL and that's the hard part about it. That's what we signed up for."

Cornerback Sauce Gardner is watching the rebuild up close. The Colts acquired him from the New York Jets at the 2025 trade deadline, sending two first-round picks and receiver Adonai Mitchell in a deal meant to fuel a postseason run. A year later, the roster built around that trade is being broken apart. "It's definitely tough," Gardner said. "It's different than when I first got here. But we're battle-tested."

What comes next

The Colts are 2-5 and are likely to operate under a cloud of uncertainty until the Nov. 10 trade deadline. Downs says he is in the game plan for this weekend's game against the Jaguars regardless of his trade request, telling reporters, "I've got to be ready to go." Whether Taylor's status changes before the deadline remains to be seen.

Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.