After being inactive in Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack requested a trade. On Thursday, he held what felt like a goodbye press conference with the only franchise he's known since being drafted in the fourth round in 2017.
"Just had an agreement with what's best for me,'' Mack said, . "They were just all with it. They supported me 100%. It's a mutual agreement I would say.''
Mack is a talented runner who once had Colts owner Jim Irsay boasting that the back could go for 1,500 yards.
But injuries wrecked the 25-year-old's career. He played just one game last season, tearing his Achilles.
Mack re-signed in Indy this offseason, but with Jonathan Taylor entrenched as the workhorse and Nyheim Hines earning more change-of-pace reps, there just wasn't room for Mack to carve out a role in Indy. Heading into free agency next year, Mack needs to show teams he's rejuvenated after surgery. He's not likely to get that chance in Indy.
The fifth-year pro hopes to find a team that will give him a bigger shot.
"I don't know yet," he said of a potential trade. "It's the NFL. It's crazy. You never know.
"I've just got to continue working hard for this team and get a W."
Running back injuries are a certainty throughout an ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøseason, but it's unlikely the Colts would fetch a hefty price for an RB who has played in just one game and is coming off an Achilles injury. GM Chris Ballard is likely accommodating the trade request out of respect for the effort Mack put in during his five seasons in Indy, knowing that the path for more carries is likely blocked.
"I'm just being patient. That's one thing I do well," Mack said. "Be a good human, I would say overall. Just have good imaging around guys and don't be negative."
