INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The signs of gratitude were subtle. They always are with this player.<\/p>\n
Daniel Jones has never been the outgoing type. Still, on Thursday, fresh off signing a new deal to remain with the Indianapolis Colts, he broke his typically stoic nature and allowed himself to bask in a moment of triumph.<\/p>\n
The last year \u2014 the last 364 days to be exact \u2014 has changed the course of Jones\u2019 career. On March 13, 2025, when Jones signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts, he was trying to prove he could still be a starting quarterback. On March 12, 2026, when Jones signed a two-year, $88 million deal worth up to $100 million to stay in Indy, it solidified his status as the Colts\u2019 quarterback of the present and future.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very different situation for sure,\u201d Jones said. \u201cPlaying quarterback in the NFL, you see a lot, experience a lot of different things and learn a lot. So (I) just try to learn through all of those experiences and, obviously, I\u2019d rather be in this situation than (the one I was in) a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Months after being released during the 2024 season by the New York Giants, who drafted him sixth in 2019, Jones joined the Colts. Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard had recently declared an open quarterback competition between 2023 No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson and a to-be-determined challenger, and Jones stepped up. By the end of the 2025 offseason, Jones had supplanted Richardson as the starter, but his opportunity to lead another franchise wasn\u2019t universally loved \u2014 far from it. There was plenty of doubt externally as Indianapolis pivoted away from its highest-drafted player since Andrew Luck and handed the keys to a QB who was, at the time, 24-44-1 as an NFL starter.<\/p>\n
Jones quickly silenced the naysayers, steering the Colts to an 8-2 start that placed them atop the AFC standings. Indianapolis averaged a league-high 32.1 points per game through its first 10 games and 3.17 points per drive, which was the fourth-highest mark in a team\u2019s first 10 games this century, per TruMedia.<\/p>\n
Ballard and Colts principal owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon believed in Jones so much that last November, they traded their team\u2019s 2026 and 2027 first-round picks \u2014 essentially two chances to draft a franchise QB \u2014 to the New York Jets for star cornerback Sauce Gardner. That all-in trade validated their belief in what the Colts could be with Jones at the helm, and it\u2019s that hope they\u2019re still clinging to in 2026, despite how poorly things ended in 2025.<\/p>\n
The Colts\u2019 resurgent campaign was derailed largely by injuries to their top players. Jones, most notably, fractured his left fibula, and while he kept playing through that, he eventually tore his right Achilles tendon. Indianapolis went on to lose its last seven games and miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year. A deflating finish could have prompted Indianapolis to move on from the oft-injured Jones. However, instead the team doubled down, first by placing the transition tag on Jones this offseason \u2014 which still allowed other teams to bid on his services in free agency \u2014 before reaching a massive two-year deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you certainly have to consider the situation and what it means and how it could all play out,\u201d Jones said Thursday when asked if he ever thought he\u2019d leave Indianapolis. \u201cThat was discussed, but always in the context of, \u2018I want to be here.\u2019 And like I said, I made that clear to my agents, and I made that clear to the Colts as well and any communication I had with them. So I\u2019m glad it worked out, and I\u2019m thrilled to be back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elephant in the room, which the Colts have mostly glossed over, is what they\u2019re now asking Jones to do: Get healthy and stay healthy.<\/p>\n
The quarterback, who turns 29 in May, will be just nine months removed from Achilles surgery when the season begins in September, and he\u2019s played only one full season in his first seven. Jones emphasized that his \u201cgoal\u201d is to be ready by Week 1, though he did not fully commit to that timeline. If Jones isn\u2019t available, the Colts would likely turn to 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard as their starter until Jones is cleared. Leonard started the season finale in January, and the Colts are high on his potential as a backup and spot starter. Richardson is technically still on the roster, too, but he recently requested a trade<\/a>, and his future with the franchise remains fluid.<\/p>\n History suggests that even if Jones makes it back in time for the season opener, it would be unwise to trust his durability. Jones\u2019 lengthy injury history also includes a season-ending torn ACL in 2023 and a season-ending neck injury in 2021. His lone full season was in 2022, when he led the Giants to the playoffs. Can he do it again with the Colts in 2026?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve certainly had my fair share of injuries throughout my career, but that\u2019s part of it,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI work hard to keep my body in a good place, and unfortunately, at times you get some tough breaks here and there, but I\u2019m confident I can stay healthy and protect myself. That\u2019s a big deal. It\u2019s a big emphasis.\u201d<\/p>\n