Downs Breaks Silence on Colts Trade Request: "Those Weren't My Words"

Josh Downs has finally spoken for himself. The Indianapolis Colts receiver addressed his trade request publicly on Wednesday, pushing back on the way it has been portrayed. Asked how he separates telling a team he wants out from still suiting up for them, Downs replied that those were not his words, stressing that Indianapolis drafted him and that he remains under contract and focused on the present. The request itself was first reported on October 28, a day after the Colts dealt away Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner in a clear signal of rebuilding. Since then, the standoff has become a question of price. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Colts want third-round value for the 25-year-old, while interested teams have so far been unwilling to meet that figure, with Schefter suggesting a fourth-round pick may ultimately get a deal done. Downs, in the final year of his rookie contract and headed for free agency in March, has kept playing through the uncertainty. Unless a trade materialises before Tuesday's November 10 deadline, he will line up for the 2-6 Colts against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, a game that would also be the first NFL meeting between Josh and his younger brother, Dallas rookie safety Caleb Downs, if Caleb clears concussion protocol.