Jonathan Taylor said he wanted to be an Indianapolis “Colt for life.” Now the star running back is one step closer to turning that dream into reality. Taylor agreed to a two-year, $44 million contract extension Thursday with the Colts, according to a league source who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The deal is worth up to $47 million and includes $39 million guaranteed. Taylor will now be under contract through the 2028 season.

Taylor was entering the final year of a three-year, $42 million contract extension he inked in October 2023. That lucrative deal came after a public and sometimes bitter back-and-forth between Taylor and his agent, Malki Kawa, and late Colts owner Jim Irsay. Taylor and Irsay even exchanged verbal jabs via social media before Taylor landed a new deal. This time around, the negotiations went a lot smoother, as the 2020 second-round pick participated in training camp and was rewarded with a third contract from the team that drafted him, which is an increasing rarity for running backs.

The new deal puts Taylor second among running backs in terms of average annual value. He trails only the Atlanta Falcons’ Bijan Robinson ($22.25 million).

“I’d definitely love to be a Colt for life. I think I’ve already expressed that to them throughout the years,” Taylor said during minicamp. “… Hopefully they feel the same (way) because this is a special place. Not every building is like this, and I’ve heard some stories now, especially from guys coming from other places, and it’s not like this elsewhere.”

Taylor, 27, is coming off an impressive 2025 campaign that at one point had him in the league MVP conversation. He appeared in every game and registered 1,585 rushing yards, his most in a season since earning a first-team All-Pro nod in 2021. Additionally, Taylor’s league-leading 20 total touchdowns (18 rushing and two receiving) last year are tied with Hall of Famer Lenny Moore for the most in a single season in Colts history. Taylor is the only Colts player to reach that threshold twice (2021 and 2025).

Taylor’s new deal confirms that the Colts view him as a part of their long-term future, even if the man who brought him to Indianapolis may not be around. Colts general manager Chris Ballard is entering the final year of his contract, and it’s fair to consider that if Indianapolis misses the playoffs for a sixth straight season, Ballard could be relieved of his duties.

Ballard traded up three spots to select Taylor with the No. 41 pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The former Wisconsin standout has had some durability issues throughout his pro career, missing at least three games in each of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons. Despite those absences, Taylor has still emerged as one of the league’s premier running backs.

Taylor’s career average of 90.5 rushing yards per game is the most among active players and ranks fifth all-time behind Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and Eric Dickerson, respectively. Taylor, a three-time Pro Bowler, ranks first in Colts history with 69 rushing TDs. His 7,598 rushing yards are second in franchise history only to Hall of Famer Edgerrin James (9,226).

HOUSTON — When this season’s most meaningful homestand began, the Houston Astros sat a half-game out of first place in the American League West and were in desperate need of a trade deadline boost.

When it ended Wednesday, Houston had overtaken the Texas Rangers for first place in the division, secured a tiebreaker that effectively doubled its 1 1/2-game lead and positioned itself firmly in the postseason.

Acquiring Daulton Varsho from the Toronto Blue Jays raised the floor of the Astros’ outfield, but the help Houston sought for the starting rotation never arrived. Still, a 4-2 homestand continued the club’s best stretch of baseball this season. Here are four takeaways.

1. Carlos Correa’s return is not out of the question

Carlos Correa’s comeback attempt cleared another roadblock Tuesday afternoon, when doctors cleared him to resume swinging a bat. Hitting a baseball remains distant, but taking dry swings is meaningful for Correa, who tore the peroneus brevis tendon in his left ankle during a freak batting practice accident in early May.

Repair surgery requires at least six months of recovery, Correa said at the time. Now, not even three months after his May 11 operation, Correa is “increasing his baseball activities,” according to manager Joe Espada. Correa is sprinting, fielding ground balls and started his swing progression on Tuesday.

There is cautious optimism around the organization, with the caveat that much has to happen in a shrinking calendar.

It is why Espada said Wednesday he is trying not to consider how he would configure his lineup if Correa returns. Too many variables exist. Would Correa be capable of playing defense? Would his workload be limited in any capacity? What do the standings look like?

“If we ever get to that point,” Espada said, “we’ll sit down and talk about it.”

There is one nonnegotiable: Isaac Paredes must remain in Houston’s everyday lineup. He is playing third base in Correa’s stead and, though he’s mired in an 0-for-15 slump, is one of four qualified Astros hitters with an OPS+ above league average.

Provided he can play with no restrictions, Correa is a clear defensive upgrade over Paredes. They could split time at the position — especially if Correa can’t play defense every day upon his return — but that would force one of them to serve as Houston’s designated hitter.

Doing so would require Yordan Alvarez to play more left field, which Houston has tried to avoid all season. Alvarez has started just 18 of his first 114 games in the outfield, but if Correa is back in the fold, the Astros may have no other choice than to increase that number.

One scenario that would keep Alvarez at designated hitter: Correa reprising his role as the everyday third baseman, Paredes shifting to second and Jose Altuve moving back to left field. Altuve played 44 games there last season, and some in the organization think he would be amenable to moving back to accommodate Correa’s return.

Bear in mind, neither Alvarez nor Altuve is an ideal defensive option in left field. Espada would likely remove either of them in favor of a better outfielder late in meaningful games with Houston ahead. Pulling Alvarez from any game — especially one with postseason implications — would not seem wise.

2. Two promising pitchers

Amid Monday’s manic trade deadline, the Astros promoted touted pitching prospect Bryce Mayer to Triple-A Sugar Land. The timing is a coincidence — Mondays are a universal off day in the minor leagues and roster moves are common — but it may hold some significance later this season.

Not acquiring a starting pitcher on Monday doubled as a vote of confidence for Mayer and Ethan Pecko, his new Triple-A teammate, to reinforce the rotation at some point this season. The two right-handers are Houston’s most major-league-ready pitching prospects in the upper minor leagues.

Mayer and Pecko were two of Houston’s top eight prospects according to The Athletic’s Keith Law in his preseason prospect rankings, and they have performed to that pedigree this season.

They could become factors for this depth-starved starting rotation across the season’s final 46 games.

“Both guys could be big down the stretch,” said one rival scout, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss Houston’s prospects candidly.

The Athletic surveyed four scouts who’ve evaluated one or both pitchers. According to one, neither Mayer nor Pecko “are high-upside (pitchers), but solid and by far the best two (pitching prospects) they have.” Another labeled both pitchers as possible fourth or fifth starters in a major-league rotation — something Houston’s current major-league staff would welcome.

Mayer, who struck out 100 and sported a 2.61 ERA across 69 Double-A innings, has a five-pitch mix that now includes a changeup to help him against left-handed hitters. Good extension helps his four-seam fastball play from a low arm slot and, according to one scout, Mayer seems to have increased the tempo of his delivery. He’s “taken off” since, the scout said.

“(It’s) a solid mix, but no plus pitches,” said another scout. “But he knows how to pitch and compete. The command is just OK right now, but that’s an area where he can improve.”

Pecko, meanwhile, has a “deep mix (with) nothing anywhere near plus,” according to one scout. Another liked Pecko’s “presence, willingness to compete and potential for making necessary adjustments.”

Like Mayer, Pecko gets good extension that allows his fastball to play up.

Pecko, who missed the beginning of the season while recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, has a 3.96 ERA across his past 50 Triple-A innings. He is probably closer to the major leagues than Mayer, even if one scout said, “In an ideal world, he’s more of an option for 2027. But, no doubt, they don’t have other options.”

3. Josh Hader may pitch multiple innings — just not now

Josh Hader needed just 10 pitches to finish the top of the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon. When Houston did not score in the home half, Hader did not emerge for the 10th.

Fellow southpaw Bennett Sousa did, and he surrendered a go-ahead, two-run home run to Ernie Clement.

The outcome stung, but what led to it sheds light on Hader’s status. Hader had not pitched in the previous three days, and the Astros have a scheduled off day on Thursday. Few scenarios seemed more ideal for Hader’s first multi-inning appearance since being activated from the injured list on June 2.

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Espada said after Wednesday’s game. “I think eventually it will come, maybe, at some point. But we feel so good about our (bullpen) and the options we have that I think we still need to let that develop a little bit more.”

Hader, who took a hardline stance against throwing multiple innings before reaching free agency, did so during 14 of his first 119 regular-season outings as an Astro. Injuring his shoulder last August and left biceps this spring — the first two significant injuries of his professional career — has put that on pause.

On the day he returned to the active roster, though, Hader said he planned to throw multiple innings again “once we get toward the end of the year.”

Espada’s comments on Wednesday seem to affirm that, but it is unclear when all parties will be comfortable doing so.

It is still early August and the Astros must do everything in their power to keep Hader healthy, so it is difficult to dispute Wednesday’s decision-making. As more important games arrive and the season’s end approaches, Hader’s ability to become a multi-inning weapon can change the complexion of a club carried by top-end talent.

Hader lowered his ERA to 1.13 with his scoreless outing Wednesday. He has struck out 35 batters in his first 26 appearances, just three of which have featured an earned run. Before Wednesday, Houston won 22 of the first 25 games that Hader pitched.

In his absence, they could not win a 23rd.

4. Shuffling the coaches

Dan Hennigan’s departure for Wake Forest this week will rearrange some responsibilities within Houston’s offensive coaching infrastructure. Hennigan left his role as the offensive coordinator and director of hitting for the Astros after Sunday’s win against the Rangers to begin his new job as the Demon Deacons’ hitting coach.

The 36-year-old biomechanics master paired well with hitting coaches Victor Rodriguez and Anthony Iapoce, veteran coaches who had lengthy professional playing careers.

The coaching hierarchy is not changing. Rodriguez remains the head hitting coach and Iapoce is his assistant. Roving hitting coach and special adviser Chuckie Caufield will replace Hennigan on the Astros’ coaching staff, but his duties will be divided among the remaining group.

Hennigan led the team’s pregame advance meetings, which Iapoce will now oversee. Caufield will be in the batting cages during games to analyze the opponent’s bullpen and prepare bench players for potential pinch-hit appearances.

Perhaps most importantly, Hennigan formulated the strategy reports that have drawn acclaim from members of Houston’s lineup. Writing those reports will now fall to Ricardo Lizarraga, an advance-scouting coordinator who is part of Houston’s traveling party.

Lizarraga assisted Hennigan throughout the season in producing the reports and, in preparation for his departure, started compiling them on his own during this homestand. Players are given freedom to pick and choose which parts of the reports they prioritize, but all of it is presented in advance meetings.

Lizarraga joined the Astros in 2022 as an international scouting apprentice and spent two seasons as an international scouting coordinator before joining Houston’s major-league advance-scouting group.

For Harry Wilson, a first pre-season under Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has brought back memories of playing under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Wilson, 29, joined Leeds this summer on a free transfer after five years at Fulham. But he started his career at Anfield, emerging through the academy and joining Klopp’s team for pre-seasons.

“I don’t know if it’s a German thing,” he laughs, “But there’s a lot of running involved.”

Farke, like Klopp, demands high intensity from his players as Leeds seek to build on finishing 14th in last season’s Premier League. Wilson says there have been days of double sessions, which he had been warned about by his Wales international team-mates and now Leeds colleagues Ethan Ampadu, Daniel James and Joe Rodon.

“It’s definitely been more than what I’ve done the last few years,” Wilson says. “Now the games have started, it has calmed down a little bit, but I’m feeling really fit and feeling good. The first (of the double sessions) is usually a big pitch session where there’s a lot of distance covered, and then the afternoon one is usually gym-based, a lot of strength work, but the good thing is it’s always football-based.

“We’ve only had one day where it’s been no footballs — other than the two testing days at the start. As long as the footballs are out, I don’t think the lads mind it. It has been physically demanding, but we feel a lot better for it on the pitch.

“We did one kilometre (shuttle) runs in the first week, and that was something that Jurgen used to do as well. Under Jurgen, I felt really fit and I’m hoping that’ll be the case here too.”

Harry Wilson in action for Leeds during their 3-2 friendly defeat against Wrexham in Florida (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Wilson was speaking to reporters, including The Athletic, following the culmination of the club’s pre-season tour in the United States, where they ended the trip with a 4-2 comeback win over Liverpool. The Leeds squad is gradually taking shape, with Wilson’s arrival accompanied by the £34million ($46m) signing of Tarik Muharemovic from Italian team Sassuolo, while goalkeeper James Trafford is expected to join from Manchester City. Wilson represented something of a coup, having registered 10 goals and seven assists in the Premier League last season for Fulham.

The Leeds charm offensive went all the way from the dressing room to the dugout and up to the boardroom, indicating a level of joined-up thinking and cohesion across the club. Leeds’ interest in Wilson can be traced back to last summer when they tried and failed to sign the winger on deadline day, with the deal sheet not completed before the 7pm cut-off point.

Wilson says Farke’s interest in him goes back much further, to the period between 2017 and 2021 when he coached Norwich City. Leeds continued to keep abreast of Wilson’s thinking as his contract ran down at Fulham.

Wilson says the continued pursuit led him to prioritise Leeds even when other Premier League clubs showed an interest.

“It showed that it wasn’t just because I was a free transfer that they had decided, ‘Let’s go for him’. Last year they pushed really hard as well and ultimately ran out of time. My full focus was on Fulham, Wales and having a good season and trying to put myself in the best position. Then Leeds came back and didn’t forget what they were saying last year. With the talks we had and their plans for the future, it was the best place for me.”

The conversations extended to a call with Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe, who recently stepped aside as the San Francisco 49ers’ executive vice president of football operations to focus fully on Leeds and Scottish club Rangers.

“That was unique,” Wilson said, of the chairman’s involvement. “I spoke with the manager and then the chairman jumped on and said that he really wanted me. He said he was gutted that they missed out last year and he didn’t want that to happen again this year. When you’ve got important people in the club that have phoned, that really goes a long way and ultimately that’s made my decision.”

Wilson is a long-time friend and team-mate of Ampadu, James and Rodon at international level.

“I almost had to block Ethan!” he smiles. “I’m just joking. Ethan, being club captain, he played a big role. DJ (James) I have played with since we were 14. I was in regular contact with the boys. Even in previous years, being away on Wales camp, I was always asking about the club and the boss. That’s helped me settle in the first few weeks because it can be quite daunting going into a new club, a new changing room, but when you know a few familiar faces, it definitely helps.”

Wilson and Ethan Ampadu on Wales duty in 2019 (Athena Pictures/Getty Images)

As for Farke, Wilson was impressed by his detail. “The things he was saying on the phone showed that he had watched my game and knew what type of player I am. He saw me in different formations, whether it be a three at the back or a four at the back — we can be quite flexible with that. I fit into both formations. He’s the one ultimately that picks the team, so it was always important to get his thoughts.”

In June, Wilson was carrying a small ankle knock and received permission from the Welsh setup to miss international friendlies, allowing him to protect his body while he was a free agent.

“Then it was about sitting down with the family, my agent and speaking to the clubs and deciding what I thought was best,” he says. “After the first call I had with the chairman and hearing the direction of the club, they were my No 1 choice. I spoke to a couple of other teams and it never changed my mind. I’m delighted to be here.

“The owners, the plans they have for the club… they know the size of the club, the fanbase and the history. We can see the work they’re doing to the stadium already to increase the capacity and the investment they’re putting into the squad. It is all going in one direction and that’s what I want to be a part of.”

Wilson says while the priority is securing Premier League status for another year, he is not ruling out a push to qualify for a European competition for the first time since 2003.

“Leeds stayed up really comfortably last season,” Wilson says. “When you look at Sunderland and Nottingham Forest, who have come up in recent years and gone into Europe, that’s an aim we can have. But ‘second season syndrome’ has been the case for a few teams.

“This season, it’s trying to build on what the club created last year, making sure our home form is good, and let’s see where that takes us.”