Giants Could Take Advantage If Indianapolis Colts Go Into Fire Sale Mode

The Indianapolis Colts are 2-4 and fired general manager Chris Ballard this week. There is obvious speculation that the Colts could be in a break-it-down-and-start-over fire sale. The New York Giants could be a team to watch if the Colts go in that direction.

Below are my top three targets for the Giants if the Colts decide to be aggressive sellers—and the NFC East-leading Giants aggressive buyers—before the Nov. 10 NFL Trade Deadline.

RB Jonathan Taylor

This is the most obvious possibility. Giants head coach John Harbaugh is pining for “a Derrick Henry circumstance or a Saquon Barkley circumstance” at running back.

The Giants ended their four-way timeshare at running back on Tuesday by releasing Najee Harris. That doesn’t mean that they have solved their running back issues. They don’t have a 20-yard run from a running back yet this season. Cam Skattebo has averaged 3.6 yards per carry with four fumbles, Tyrone Tracy 3.1, and Devin Singletary 3.0. Blocking has been part of the issue, but none of the backs have distinguished themselves.

Enter Taylor.

The 27-year-old is one of the game’s elite backs and would immediately give Harbaugh and the Giants the Henry/Barkley circumstance Harbaugh spoke about.

Taylor has four 1,000-yard seasons over his first six NFL seasons, three Pro Bowl appearances, and a first-team All-Pro honor in 2021. Injuries limited him in 2022 and 2023, the only seasons he did not reach 1,000 yards.

Taylor had 1,585 yards rushing and a league-best 18 rushing touchdowns in 2025.

Taylor signed a two-year, $44 million contract extension with the Colts that runs through the 2028 season. He would cost an acquiring team the prorated portion of his 2026 salary, and roughly $34 million over the 2027 and 2028 seasons. His contract includes a 2028 out, with a $7.5 million roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2028 league year.

What would it take to acquire Taylor? SB Nation’s Stampede Blue believes a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick would be an appropriate price tag.

Maybe that is an appropriate price tag. The Pro Football and Sports Network trade machine, though, thinks a fair price would involve the Giants surrendering a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 to go along with a Day 2 asset.

DT DeForest Buckner

The 32-year-old is a free agent-to-be who has been one of the better defensive linemen in the NFL ever since the San Francisco 49ers made him a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. It wouldn’t make any sense for the Colts not to make him available at the trade deadline.

The Giants are having success with long-in-the-tooth defensive linemen D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris, but haven’t had much luck finding depth behind them. Buckner would take care of that issue. For now.

Buckner seems tired of what has been going on in Indianapolis, and might welcome a new opportunity.

There are two problems. If Buckner is available, there figure to be several suitors. The other is cost.

A team acquiring Buckner would have to figure out how to fit $23 million of the $26 million he is earning this season under their cap.

I ran this through the PFSN trade simulator, and it told me that third-round picks in 2027 and 2028 AND Kayvon Thibodeaux might not be enough to get a deal done, and wouldn’t quite get the Giants, with just over $8 million in cap space, under the cap.

That’s way too big of a price to pay.

G Quenton Nelson

This one is probably pie-in-the-sky. But, hey, we can talk about it.

The 30-year-old eight-time Pro Bowler (every year of his career) and three-time All-Pro is perhaps the best guard in the game. He is going to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day. He remains an elite run blocker and very good pass blocker.

He is also in the final year of his contract.

Nelson would provide a massive upgrade to a Giants offensive line that has been struggling to run block.

Again, though, there are myriad problems in trying to trade for Nelson.

Giants left guard Jon Runyan Jr. is a good pass blocker, but a poor run blocker. The Giants, though, gave him a two-year, $22 million extension through 2028 that guarantees him $19.5 million. That’s a lot of money to sit on the bench.

The PFSN trade simulator says it would take a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 first-rounder to get Nelson. It would also put them roughly $10 million over the salary cap, so they would have to figure that out.

That is not a trade you can make without getting Nelson to sign a long-term deal, and perhaps considering the idea of transitioning Runyan to center.

Are any of these trade possibilities appealing to you, Giants fans?