Wisconsin Professional Athletes

The Taylor Situation Has Taken Over the NFL

No Wisconsin alum — and arguably no player in the league — generated more headlines this week than Jonathan Taylor. The Indianapolis Colts, sitting at 2-5 and in the midst of a fire sale that already claimed Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, have opened the door to trading their star running back ahead of the November 10 deadline.

Taylor confirmed he hasn't requested a trade — "Hopefully that day may not come, but I can't control that," he told reporters — but the business of football has moved quickly around him. ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported Saturday that the Colts are actively engaged in talks with multiple teams, and CBS Sports confirmed at least five franchises have expressed interest. The Colts have already turned down at least one offer, a signal that their asking price remains steep.

The suitor list reads like a who's who of contenders. The New York Giants have emerged as a frontrunner — Sporting News noted the team's desire for a bell-cow back and coach John Harbaugh's willingness to spend draft capital to win the NFC East now. The Green Bay Packers surfaced on Halloween, with insider Bill Huber reporting genuine interest from Green Bay. The Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots have all been connected to varying degrees, with prediction markets already assigning odds to each destination.

The backdrop makes this all the more surreal: Taylor actually played Sunday in Week 8, rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown in a 16-10 loss to the Vikings — the same team reportedly trying to acquire him. His wife, Ayanna Taylor, added a human layer to the circus, posting TikTok videos over the weekend acknowledging the uncertainty. "We're in a situation that we've never been in before," she said. Taylor stood by her publicly.

With ten days to the deadline, the Colts' asking price — believed to be a first-round pick — remains the central sticking point. Nothing is done. Everything is in motion.

Allen Quietly Puts Together a Statement Game

While the Taylor drama consumed the oxygen, fellow Badger Braelon Allen had the best on-field performance of any Wisconsin alum in Week 8. The Jets running back racked up 104 rushing yards and added six catches for 30 yards against the Dolphins in a 28-25 New York loss — a genuine workhorse effort that underscored his growing role in New York's offense despite the team's struggles.

Around the Badger League

Elsewhere, T.J. Watt posted a sack as the Steelers defeated the Saints 16-10 on Sunday, a quiet but steady contribution from the perennial All-Pro. Jake Ferguson and Zack Baun were on opposite sidelines in Philadelphia's 38-21 blowout of the Cowboys on Monday night, with the Eagles' Baun part of a dominant defensive performance and Ferguson's Cowboys on the wrong end of it.

The Jonathan Taylor Circus Has Arrived

Jonathan Taylor did everything right in Week 6. The Wisconsin running back churned out 94 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, added 57 receiving yards, and was objectively the best player on the field in Indianapolis's 26-20 loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. None of it mattered. The Colts fell to 2-4, fired general manager Chris Ballard the next morning, and Taylor — who signed a contract extension just this offseason — suddenly finds himself at the center of the NFL's most combustible trade deadline storyline.

The interested parties are stacking up. The Minnesota Vikings, sitting at a pristine 5-0 heading into their Week 7 matchup against Indy, have been heavily linked to Taylor, with multiple analyses dissecting what a trade package could look like and whether Minnesota has the draft capital to pull it off. The Denver Broncos have been floated as an AFC destination. The New York Giants are in the mix. So are the Seattle Seahawks. Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated have both published multi-team landing spot roundups, a sure sign the league's rumor mill is fully churned.

The catch: Indianapolis isn't there yet. Per The Sporting News, the Colts have not formally made Taylor available, and the front office — now operating under interim GM Ed Dodds — has three games to assess before the November 10 deadline arrives. Taylor himself responded to the speculation with a characteristically terse two-word message, per Heavy Sports, offering little clarity but confirming he's well aware of his name circulating.

The calculus is complicated. Taylor is under contract, productive, and 27 years old — not the profile of a player a franchise typically deals mid-season. But a 2-4 record, a front-office shake-up, and Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner also drawing trade interest paint a picture of a franchise at a crossroads. If Indy loses to the Vikings in Week 7 and falls to 2-5, Dodds may not have the luxury of patience.

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Around the Rest of Badger Country

T.J. Watt gave Steelers fans a brief scare this week after picking up a calf injury ahead of Pittsburgh's Week 7 game in Paris against the Saints, but the team does not expect the issue to affect his availability, per Pro Football Talk. Fellow Steeler Nick Herbig is coming off a two-sack performance against Tampa Bay in Week 6 and is reportedly primed for an expanded role — an encouraging sign for a pass rush that needs reinforcements if Watt's availability ever does become a concern.

Braelon Allen continues to hold down the fort in New York after Breece Hall's injury. The former Badger rushed for 78 yards and added 26 receiving yards in the Jets' Week 6 loss to New England, though his fantasy outlook heading into Week 7 carries uncertainty with Hall listed as questionable for a potential return.

In Green Bay, veteran guard Kevin Zeitler found himself in an unusual waiting role as a backup Packer preparing to face one of his former teams, the Lions, this week — a strange subplot for one of Wisconsin's most accomplished NFL linemen.

And in Minnesota, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel has played well enough on a 5-0 squad that he's already being discussed as a contract extension candidate — a quiet but meaningful development for another Badger thriving in 2024.

Allen Steals the Show in New York

Braelon Allen didn't just have a good game Sunday — he had the kind of game that changes a depth chart conversation. The former Badger ran for 116 yards and punched in a game-winning touchdown to lift the Jets past the Browns, 17-12, in what his coaches are calling a career-defining performance.

The touchdown itself was a product of quick thinking upstairs: offensive coordinator Frank Reich praised quarterback Geno Smith for audibling into the play — a 22-yard Allen scoring run on third-and-9 — that sealed the win. Allen, by his own admission, was a little surprised by the result. Reich wasn't. The OC sent a strong public message about Allen's role going forward, and Sports Illustrated's Week 6 preview for the Jets is already framing a potential Braelon encore against the rival Patriots as one of three key matchups New York must win.

The one caveat hanging over the breakout: Breece Hall's eventual return. Fantasy analysts at Sports Illustrated are already urging managers to sell high on Allen before Hall reclaims the backfield. Real-life Jets fans, though, have good reason to believe the Wisconsin product has earned a larger slice of the pie — regardless of who's healthy.

Fellow Badger and Jets center Joe Tippmann was in the trenches helping spring those runs, though his stat line went uncredited. The block-by-block work of a center rarely makes headlines, but Week 5 was a reminder that Wisconsin alumni tend to show up in pairs in New York.

Elsewhere Around the League

The week wasn't universally kind to Badger Nation. In Philadelphia, linebacker Zack Baun and the Eagles dropped a 17-19 decision to Jacksonville, a loss that's now fueling trade speculation. With Jalen Hurts dealing with health concerns, The Sporting News floated the idea of an Eagles sell-off — and Baun's name came up as a potential chip, despite his All-Pro caliber play this season. Adding to the intrigue: SI reports the Eagles plan to debut a linebacker rotation featuring Jihaad Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. opposite Baun in Week 6.

In Chicago, T.J. Edwards was a notable absence. The Bears linebacker — described by SI as one of the team's most consistent defensive players and a leader for four seasons — missed the Week 5 blowout loss to Green Bay (7-31) with a hamstring injury. His absence left a gaping hole against the Packers and looms large heading into a Week 6 matchup against the Falcons.

Speaking of Green Bay, Kevin Zeitler made his Packers debut in Week 5 after signing with the club. The veteran guard is competing for a starting spot as Green Bay works through offensive line injuries and explores potential upgrades — including, per Heavy Sports, a rumored Jonathan Taylor trade inquiry directed at the Colts.

Jonathan Taylor himself had a quiet afternoon in Pittsburgh — 45 rushing yards and 37 receiving yards — as the Colts fell to the Steelers, 22-34. Meanwhile, Steelers Keeanu Benton played through injury concerns after missing a practice day mid-week, and T.J. Watt took a hit to the face during the contest, raising injury flags for Week 6.

Minnesota's Andrew Van Ginkel chipped in a sack in the Vikings' 23-13 win over the Saints — a quiet but useful contribution from one of the conference's steadier edge presences.

A busy week for Badger Nation, with Allen's fingerprints all over the best story of the bunch.

Jonathan Taylor Does Jonathan Taylor Things

Wisconsin's most celebrated NFL export reminded everyone why he's still one of the league's premier backs Sunday. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 95 yards and punched in two touchdowns as the Indianapolis Colts rolled past the Washington Commanders 30-13. Daniel Jones added a rushing score for Indy, but Taylor was the engine — and he wasn't done talking. Ahead of a Week 5 matchup with Pittsburgh, Taylor sent the Steelers a blunt warning, promising to "make them pay" if the defense keyed too hard on stopping him. The Steelers, for their part, were busy plotting how to contain him, leaning on a rookie safety as a potential difference-maker. Two Badger alumni on a collision course.

T.J. Watt and a Steelers Meltdown

The Taylor-Pittsburgh subplot got extra juice from what was happening inside the Steelers' locker room. Pittsburgh dropped a 27-24 decision to the Cleveland Browns, and T.J. Watt wasn't hiding his frustration. The All-Pro linebacker was visibly heated on the sideline, directed at teammates and coaching staff alike. Watt later explained the outburst publicly — but the underlying message was clear: he's tired of talking about the team's struggles and wants results. With Taylor and the Colts on deck, Watt's edge heading into Week 5 was the only good news Pittsburgh's defense could point to.

Fellow Badger and Steelers pass rusher Nick Herbig also drew attention this week, though of a different kind. Despite modest box-score numbers through the early season, analysts argued Herbig has been quietly effective and deserves more snaps — a slow-burn story worth watching as Pittsburgh fights to stay relevant in the AFC.

Zack Baun: From Concussion Protocol to Trade Rumors

In Philadelphia, Zack Baun's week was a whirlwind. The Eagles linebacker had missed Week 4's loss to the Los Angeles Rams after entering the NFL's concussion protocol — part of an injury avalanche that has buried Philly's season hopes. The good news: Baun was cleared from protocol by Friday and was expected to suit up for Week 5 against Jacksonville in London.

The bad news didn't stop there, though. With losses piling up and the injury list growing, Sports Illustrated reported that the Eagles could explore trading Baun if the season continues to unravel. A fire sale isn't guaranteed, but the mere fact that it's being discussed publicly signals how quickly Philadelphia's window has clouded over.

Elsewhere in Badger Country

In Green Bay, veteran guard Kevin Zeitler — a Wisconsin alum now on his latest NFL stop — crept closer to his Packers debut. After being kept inactive in Week 4, practice reports from Oct. 7 showed Zeitler working as Green Bay's starting right guard, with head coach Matt LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich offering cautiously optimistic updates about his availability for the Bears game.

In New York, running back Braelon Allen carried for 59 rushing yards and added two catches in the Jets' 23-12 loss to the Bears — a bright individual spot in a forgettable team performance. Allen also spoke publicly about his confidence in the Jets' playoff outlook and Breece Hall's role in the backfield.

And in Dallas, tight end Jake Ferguson had a pair of modest receiving games (three catches, 11 yards vs. Houston; three catches, 19 yards vs. Tampa Bay on Thursday), but won a more entertaining battle off the field: the NFL rescinded his $13,611 fine for "imitation of shotgunning a beer" during a touchdown celebration after Ferguson brought receipts to his appeal.

Classic Badger energy.