Many seem to assume that both Zach Charbonnet AND Jadarian Price will return to play against the Bears on Monday night. But Mike Macdonald’s words made it sound like Price might not be there – and we think it might be because the Seahawks are trying to make Price part of a trade package for Jonathan Taylor.
NFL insiders say the Seahawks are among the teams interested in the Colts’ star running back. The Colts have declined an offer from an unreported team of a second-round pick and additional compensation. They reportedly want something like the Panthers got for Christian McCaffrey in 2022 – that was a 2, 3, 4 and 5.
If John Schneider is going for Taylor, it would mean he considers the star rusher an upgrade over both Price and Kenneth Walker III, whom he declined to pay. And that would make Price expendable. So why not offer him as part of the trade package? Maybe the Colts would go for the younger, cheaper first-round back, plus perhaps a 2 and a mid-round pick.
Price is still on IR, having missed four games with a chest/shoulder injury. Even though he is apparently healthy, Macdonald spoke in cryptic terms about him returning Monday: “With JD, if we were to make a move, that would happen on Monday, to my knowledge. We’ll see if that’s what we do. We have some things going on roster wise that we’re working through right now, but we have a plan for Zach.”
The roster move for Price should be pretty simple: Just put injured Velus Jones Jr. on IR or cut Robert Henry Jr. So when Macdonald references “things going on roster wise,” it makes us think Price might be part of the Taylor talks.
The Seahawks also reportedly might be listening to offers for Jarran Reed. Moving the nearly 34-year-old now would save the Hawks from having to cut him after the season – which seems likely. The cap savings (about $3.33 million for the final 10 weeks) could nearly cover the cost of Taylor ($4.44 million) for the rest of the year.
Of course, Macdonald and Aden Durde would need to have a plan for replacing Reed in the D-line rotation; he has played 47% of the defensive snaps.
If Schneider and Colts interim GM Ed Dodds came to another agreement – days after the deal that sent Quenton Nelson to Seattle – the trade surely would not happen until after this week’s games. But it would explain why Price might not be activated by Seattle. If Taylor also is inactive for the Colts for Week 8, that would be the major tell that a deal is already in place with some team.
The Vikings, Broncos, Packers and Giants are among other teams interested, according to the ESPN report that mentioned Seattle and the Colts’ desired trade price.
Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon reportedly met with Taylor this week to discuss the future. It seems like Irsay-Gordon would accommodate Taylor’s preference – whether to stay or go and where he might prefer to go.
In the run-up to the 2020 draft, Taylor said he would love for Seattle to draft him. It was largely because of Pete Carroll and fellow Wisconsin alum Russell Wilson. The Seahawks drafted Jordyn Brooks in the first round and the Colts took Taylor with the 41st overall pick. But Taylor surely would not be disappointed about being traded to Seattle, the reigning Super Bowl champion which just brought over his top blocker, Nelson.
If Schneider were able to get the 27-year-old, the Hawks would have him under contract for two more years. That’s just a year shy of how long they would have Price on his rookie deal. It would just cost them quite a bit more.
Taylor is due $16 million next year, and trading Price would accelerate an extra $4.3 million in prorated cap hits to 2027 as well (net $2.7 million added after salary and roster bonus deducted). Obviously, Schneider would have cap manager Joey Laine rework Taylor’s deal – adding void years or whatnot.
We didn’t think Schneider would be interested in adding a running back, but it sounds like he is – and it sure seems he has as good a chance as anyone of getting Taylor, considering his relationship with Dodds.
If he does, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Price is part of the package from Seattle.
