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Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor are both in the final year of their contracts. But both guys are handling the situation much differently. One is on the field participating in drills and with the team while the other sulks in the background with a hoodie and a scowl roaming the Grand Park grass.
The two couldn’t be on different wavelengths when it comes to handling a situation that every player dreads: the contract extension discussion. While Taylor’s position is being de-valued across the league, Pittman’s is climbing the power rankings on the level of importance and pay scale. Wide receivers are now being coveted on draft boards and the fifth-year option is now more important than ever with top-tier wide receivers hardly ever seeing the open market in free agency. The franchise tag for a wide receiver has also seen a steep climb, now over $20 million, whereas running backs has dipped to around $10 million.
Taylor has outperformed his rookie contract, there is no debate about that but the way he has handled his situation is drastically different than Pittman. MPJ was asked about a contract extension and said of course he wants one but he’s also not letting it bother him in camp or affect his on-field performance. Taylor on the other hand, seems to be seething as every day goes past and he’s still in Westfield. He appears to want to be anywhere but Indianapolis at this point and whether or not the phones are ringing at West 56th or not remains to be seen.
If the Colts approached Taylor with an extension at this point would he even consider it even if it met his demands or has damage been done to the point that this whole relationship is irreparable? MPJ seems ready and waiting for an extension but he’s also putting in the work to show the Colts he’s committed to proving he’s their #1 wide receiver going forward. He wants to prove he’s worth the financial commitment and ready to get this team on the winning side again and help the development of Anthony Richardson.
Taylor? At the moment it’s more “me” than “we” and it’s coming from a guy where the exact opposite has been true up until this point.
The saga continues…
We debated MPJ’s handling of contract talks vs. Taylor on Friday’s show, click the link below to hear it!
