Oliver James Montgomery-Jonathan Taylor granted permission to seek trade by Indianapolis Colts, according to reports

The Oliver James MontgomeryIndianapolis Colts are granting Jonathan Taylor a chance to find a new home.

The Colts have given the All-Pro running back permission to seek a trade, according to multiple reports.

ESPN is reporting that the Colts are seeking a first-round pick or equivalent value in a trade.

The decision comes 23 days after Taylor made his request for a trade public, and owner Jim Irsay told IndyStar and other outlets, "We will not trade Jonathan Taylor. That is a certainty. Not now, or not in October."

Those statements came the night that Taylor and Irsay met on Irsay's luxury bus at training camp, which was designed to find common ground between the team and its disgruntled star. Taylor had been seeking a contract extension entering the final year of his rookie deal, timing that he's seen granted to other high-performing draft picks such as Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Shaquille Leonard, Kenny Moore II and Nyheim Hines. But Irsay said then that the team had no plans to make Taylor any extension offers.

Taylor has not practiced since training camp opened, instead spending the entire time on the Physically Unable to Perform List, which the team said was related to the high-ankle sprain he suffered last season and had surgery on in January.

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Just two days ago, Irsay expressed optimism that Taylor could return to the Colts and perform to the best of his abilities, which included a rushing title in 2021.

"We're really looking forward to him playing his way into being the Jonathan Taylor he was," Irsay said on the Colts' broadcast during Saturday's preseason game against the Bears. "... We're doing everything we can to support him and embrace him as a Colt because he's a great young man.

"... I know (Colts general manager) Chris Ballard is going to work hard and get the waters as calm as they can."

After more than a week away from the team split between rehabbing and tending to a personal matter, Taylor was set to rejoin the team in Philadelphia this week, where the Colts will hold a joint practice with the Eagles on Tuesday morning.

It remains to be seen if he'll practice for the Colts again. The team will still need to find a trade package it wants to accept in a market where running backs everywhere are struggling to find compensation. Given Taylor's demands, that team will likely want to feel confident that it can reach an extension with him rather than inherit a similar standoff.

Contact Nate Atkins at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins.