New York Giants Coach John Harbaugh won’t be forced to bail out Indianapolis Colts by broker Jonathan Taylor, but says a deal isn’t dead.
Reports on Sunday suggested the Giants had targeted Taylor to boost their offense and had offered second- and fifth-round picks in exchange for the 27-year-old, who has scored eight touchdowns this season and rushed for 656 yards.
Taylor has been one of the best running backs in the NFL over the past seven seasons and would immediately improve a Giants team that sits atop the NFL East with a 5-2-1 record.
Speaking after Sunday’s 19-11 win over the Philadelphia EaglesHarbaugh said, “I’m not saying the report isn’t true. Those conversations are happening. If something happens to a player, you can’t talk about any (specific) player because he’s with other teams right now, but we’re not ruling anything out.
“I will say this: Things change. Things change overnight.”
Harbaugh says the Giants won’t be looking for a short-term fix
The Giants have been impressive this season despite losing quarterback Jaxson Dart and senior pass rusher Brian Burns for the season to injury.
But Harbaugh is adamant that he will always prioritize the long term when making major acquisitions.
“I’m not just going for a short-term fix at an exorbitant cost. We’re not here,” Harbaugh said. “And usually when you do that kind of thing, it doesn’t work out for you. You end up paying a high price and you don’t get the performance out of it. I never think you’re one step or one player away. For me, it’s always an all-time thing.
“But if the right opportunity comes along and there’s a deal that makes sense for us, we’ll do it.”
We’ll see what happens before the deadline: Harbaugh, Giants boss
Taylor didn’t shine over the weekend. He had 18 touches in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but managed just 64 total yards.
The Giants have also been linked to moves for Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons, while they also had interest in Washington’s Daron Payne before he suffered a season-ending foot injury.
“I don’t see anything particularly imminent right now, either,” Harbaugh said. “So we’ll see what happens.”
The trade deadline is Tuesday at 4:00 PM ET.
