According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Indianapolis Colts were reportedly close to trading for New Orleans Saints readily available cornerback Alontae Taylor before ultimately landing New York Jets All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner in a trade deadline blockbuster—which was a clear upgrade comparatively:
Reading the tea leaves below, if you believe Fox NFL Sunday’s Jay Glazer, the Colts’ potential deal for Taylor may have actually been closer than Fowler initially reported (if he’s the Indy trade target Glazer references, which seems realistically likely). Before the deal eventually falling through, and Indianapolis then prioritizing Gardner—ultimately closing the deal on the elite cornerback:
Originally a 2022 2nd round pick out of Tennessee by New Orleans, the 6’0”, 199 pound Taylor has appeared in 56 career games (45 starts) during his first four seasons with the Saints. He’s made 8 starts so far in 2025, recording 44 tackles (29 solo), 4 passes defensed, and a sack.
Per PFF (subscription), he’s earned a +58.6 overall grade to-date this year—including a +62.5 coverage grade.
Obviously, Gardner’s big-time acquisition makes this story ‘water under the bridge,’ as it didn’t happen (and Taylor wasn’t ultimately dealt elsewhere by 4 PM EST).
However, it is some added food for thought, and the type of potential trade acquisition that Colts fans probably thought was more realistic just ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The Colts didn’t just shore up a roster deficiency or add key competition with Gardner’s arrival though, they acquired one of the best players in football at a premium defensive position (and one that was depleted for Indianapolis due to re-occurring injuries)—and also paid a steep cost doing it.
We’ve seen in the past though where the Colts have reportedly had interest in a player either through the draft’s pre-evaluation process or NFL free agency, only to see that interest resurface down the road.
We’ll see if that’s eventually the case with Taylor again.
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