Why the Seahawks Didn't Trade for Jonathan Taylor

The Seattle Seahawks are sitting back as Jonathan Taylor stays put while the NFL trade deadline comes and goes.

The Seahawks were reportedly interested in trading for the Indianapolis Colts' star running back, but the team opted not to make the deal. Instead, they acquired Quenton Nelson in exchange for a third- and fifth-round pick. Here is why the Seahawks ultimately chose to move on:

A Little Too Pricey

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III carries the ball as New York Jets linebacker Kingsley Enagbare defends. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seahawks were unwilling to negotiate a contract with Kenneth Walker III in free agency. Walker signed a $43 million contract over three years, while Taylor is on the books for a two-year, $44 million contract.

If the Seahawks were unwilling to pay Walker's contract, they certainly weren't going to do the same for Taylor. The team also has several other options in the running back room.

Zach Charbonnet, Jadarian Price Are Reinforcements

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet jumps over Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The main reason behind the Seahawks not making the Taylor trade is because they believe in Charbonnet and Price as a dynamic backfield that can get the job done.

Price is a first-round pick who is under team control for the next five seasons at a reasonable cost. Charbonnet, although he is a free agent at the end of the season, is someone they have relied on for the past four seasons.

Charbonnet recorded 77 yards on 16 carries in the team's Week 9 win against the Cardinals, which is a sign that he is slowly getting back in a groove after he tore his ACL during the team's Divisional Round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers back in January.

"Super happy for Zach," Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said postgame via the team's website. "Everyone has seen the work and all the grit it takes for him to get back on the field. He played great today. We're going to need him throughout the remainder of the season. So, happy for him today."

The Seahawks are also excited to see what Price can do as he continues to grow in his first season.

"I thought he was decisive with his runs," Macdonald said of Price via the team's website.

"Sometimes he's the primary in some of those pass concepts. Sometimes he's kind of at the end of the progression and when the ball finds him, if you can make a guy miss, it's a great example. It doesn't have to be some extraordinary play to create explosives, but let's just be efficient with our decision making and get it in our player's hands and let him do the rest. So again, he's another example. I think he's just going to continue to get better now that he's kind of stacking weeks and he's getting healthier, that'll help us."

The Seahawks are investing a lot in Charbonnet and Price, and to throw all of that away for half of the season of Taylor would not be a wise investment.

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