It could have been a situation in which Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was simply on a fishing expedition to see if he could get a great player on the cheap. In the end, it didn’t work out.
Gutekunst declined to comment on the reports of the Packers’ interest in Taylor when speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
“Let’s get the checklist out. First of all, I can’t talk about players on other teams,” Gutekunst said. “We try to be in every conversation. So, you know, any time we have good players available to us, we’d like to make the Green Bay Packers better and we’ll look at those opportunities.”
The GM suggested Dillon wasn’t brought up in any trade conversations.
“A.J. is part of this team. He was gonna be regardless,” he said. “… We’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing if we’re not investigating these things, at least listening to things. It’s just the nature of the world now. There’s all kinds of things out there. Some are true, some aren’t.”
Gutekunst also added that Jones “is the heart and soul of this team. Not only what we do on the field offensively, but off the field, too.”
From the Dolphins side, GM Chris Grier was more open about the discussion with Indy, adding he had “exploratory” talks with Colts general manager Chris Ballard, but there was “no exchange of offers from either side.”
Indianapolis granted Taylor permission to seek a trade last week after initially refusing to take calls on the running back after he requested a trade in July. With Taylor seeking a new contract and the Colts insisting on a haul in return for the running back, nothing came to fruition.
Indy kept Taylor, who continues to rehab offseason ankle surgery, on the PUP list on Tuesday, knocking the RB out at least the first four weeks of the 2023 season.
One thing appears certain: The drama surrounding Taylor in Indy doesn’t seem close to subsiding — at least not until the Oct. 31 trade deadline passes.