How Colts RB Jonathan Taylor Manages Heavy Workload After Years of Mileage

Ever since he was drafted in 2020, superstar running back Jonathan Taylor has been the heart and soul of the Indianapolis Colts' offense.

Taylor has totaled nearly 10,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 76 touchdowns throughout his six seasons in the league. His output is respectable on its own, but it becomes even more impressive when you realize that opposing teams have loaded the box in an attempt to stop Taylor throughout the years, as the Colts have struggled to establish continuity from the quarterback position.

The Colts' longtime running back has been a workhorse since his college days, where he logged nearly 1,000 rushes during his three-year stint at Wisconsin, and that hasn't stopped since joining the league.

Entering a make-or-break year, the Colts must do everything they can to ensure their best players are fresh for a deep run, and monitoring Jonathan Taylor's workload is near the top of said list of priorities.

Establishing Taylor's Workload For 2026

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) is brought down by Jacksonville Jaguars defenders Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Taylor has led the NFL in total carries twice in six seasons, with his most recent run coming in 2025, when he had 323 rushes. He has now rushed 300+ times in half of his NFL career so far, and is fresh off his first back-to-back seasons of 300+ rushes.

Injuries caused Taylor to miss 13 total games from 2022-24, as well as three during the 2024-25 season, but he has since returned to his typical productive self.

Taylor's overall mileage was a concern when he was entering the NFL, and it still is as he enters year seven in the league. Even though he's logged 1,738 touches since joining the Colts, you can never be too careful when it comes to NFL running backs.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen understands that he must be careful with his most important offensive weapon, so he met with Taylor following the 2025-26 season to see how he's feeling.

“I think he led the league last year in carries, but talking to him after the season, he said he felt good," Steichen said at the end of OTAs about potentially dialing Taylor's workload back.

"But yeah, obviously he's a hell of a player. It's hard to take him off the field when he's running so good, but getting Seth (McGowan) in the fold and DJ (Giddens) and see how those guys come along in training camp, and we'll go from there.”

As for Taylor, he's used to the annual check-in in question after almost a decade straight of such practices. When you're a freak athlete who can roll with the punches more than most can, it makes sense that coaches feel inclined to check in, and Taylor patiently explained his perspective as the one who's used to taking said punches.

“They're going to talk about it every single year. You talk about it every single year until something happens and you're like, ‘Ah, there it is.’ It's just how you prepare. I mean, like ever since college, it's preparing for the type of workload you're going to have, whether it's more, whether it's less..." Taylor explained.

"...but then it's also finding – you guys know, I'm big on recovery. And it starts immediately after the game, but also in the offseason, you’ve got to find that good balance of restoring the body and then knowing how to pace yourself in order to build your body back up. Because a lot of times you can take a week, two weeks and go extremely hard, but you also have done a lot of damage to your body. So, how do you find a way to repair it through those two weeks? It's a fine line, but I feel like I've been starting to get the hang of it a little bit.”

Taylor's impressive workload begins to become more fathomable once he breaks down what all goes into maintaining the proper preparation required for it.

Specifically for this upcoming season, however, his looming trip to the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2027 means that the Colts must either convince Taylor to trust the process and sign before the 2026 season, or they'll have to say goodbye to one of their franchise cornerstones of the 2020s.

Whether or not the Colts can get a deal done with him before the regular season arrives, Jonathan Taylor will be giving it his all. Taylor wants to remain in Indianapolis for the foreseeable future, but the Colts must once again prove to him that it'll be worthwhile.

JT's Future in Indianapolis

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) looks on during warmups before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Taylor is entering a pivotal contract year, but unlike his infamous public dispute ahead of the 2023 season, it doesn't appear that he'll be holding out from training camp this time around.

Things can certainly change between now and late July when the Colts return for training camp, but Taylor has expressed that there's no other place he'd prefer to be than Indianapolis.

"I'd definitely like to be a Colt for life. I think I’ve already expressed that to them throughout the years," Taylor said on whether he'd like to get an extension done before the season.

"Just from college coming here – you grow up in college a little bit to a young man and then now, growing into an adult, this is like a third home of mine. So, I’ve definitely expressed that and hopefully they feel the same because this is a special place. Not every building is like this, and I’ve heard some stories now, especially from guys coming from other places, and it’s not like this everywhere.”

Taylor will be 27 years old during his second contract year in the league - a timeline that analysts often suggest is the beginning of the end for NFL running backs - but there appear to be no signs of him slowing down, and that's especially promising for the Colts, who are in their aforementioned make-or-break year as a regime.

According to Spotrac, Taylor's $15.56 million cap hit is the highest of all running backs for 2026. Overall, his current contract ranks seventh among all NFL backs in average salary at $14 million/yr, and his projection for his next deal could put him somewhere in the $18 million/yr range based on the current running back market.

While his comments about being a one-helmet guy are promising, Jonathan Taylor is not a contract-related holdout threat this time around, not only because he himself is entering a contract year, but mainly because the Colts' future hinges on this coming season.

Unless the Colts make some serious noise in the playoffs this year and inspire legitimate promise for the immediate future, then general manager Chris Ballard and Co. are likely gone after the season, and if Taylor remains unsigned by then, he would likely walk.

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