The dream of signing Jonathan Taylor to the Cleveland Browns is over.

The All-Pro back signs a 3-year extension with Indianapolis after a protracted standoff.

Cleveland Browns supporters have spent the last two weeks devising their best Jonathan Taylor trade packages after losing star running back Nick Chubb for the season due to a horrifying knee injury in Week Two.

Of course, Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts were at the center of a classic NFL contract dispute, which led to Taylor sitting out the majority of training camp and missing the first four weeks of the season while on the team’s physically unable to perform list.
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Taylor and Indianapolis have agreed to a new three-year, $42 million extension, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network and several reports, so it seems that time does indeed heal all wounds.
The All-Pro running back returned to practice this week.

$26.5 million is guaranteed as part of the agreement.
Only two years ago, Taylor set league records for rushing yards (1,811) and touchdowns (18), a season that resulted in his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections.

The idea that the Browns would actually trade for Taylor was always going to be a pipe dream.
First off, Indianapolis’ initial demand was reportedly worth a first-round draft pick, making it quite expensive.
First-round pick No. 2024, which was acquired by Cleveland as part of the Deshaun Watson trade, is not theirs. And they would have committed to going a fourth straight year without selecting a first-round player if they had been willing to give up their 2025 first-round pick.

However, there were additional difficulties with a deal because Taylor would require an extension regardless of where he ended up in a potential trade.
Without an unexpected release or trade, Nick Chubb will be owed more than $15 million in salary for Cleveland’s upcoming season, so that wouldn’t have made much sense.

The general manager of the Browns, Andrew Berry, has consistently expressed his confidence in the team’s current running back situation, which includes second-year back Jerome Ford and veteran Kareem Hunt.
But if he decides the team needs to add another back before the trade deadline at the end of the month, he’ll probably look elsewhere.