The Indianapolis Colts are paying Daniel Jones $50 million this season.
The quarterback isn’t playing like he deserves even close to that, though.
The Colts are off to a 2-3 start, and Jones has been a big culprit. His fast start to the 2025 season is a distant memory.
Jones is making weird decisions and forcing throws — two things he did hardly any of last year.
He’s a talented enough quarterback to succeed when he does everything the way the play dictates he should, but if Jones starts to deviate from the agenda, things can get messy in a hurry.
His struggles have at least raised the idea of a benching.
If that were to happen, the Colts would have to turn to either Anthony Richardson or Riley Leonard.
At the moment, it’s not more than a discussion, but two ESPN insiders, Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, had thoughts in a new article on Wednesday.
Colts Benching Daniel Jones Update
Neither Graziano nor Fowler think Jones is on the verge of being benched. Part of the problem, they explain, is that the backup options aren’t quite inspiring enough.
“Daniel Jones hasn’t played well, and the Colts are under a ton of pressure to win this season,” Graziano writes. “But with only Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard behind him, it’s hard to see Jones losing his job unless Indy makes a trade for a quarterback.”
Fowler generally concurs.
“You bring up an interesting point on Indianapolis,” Fowler writes. “My sense is the Colts are not eager to turn to their backups. Jones will get more time; after all, they are paying him $50 million this year. But the urgency in the building can’t be ignored. It’s Year 4 for coach Shane Steichen, and the pressure to win is thick.”
Maybe the most interesting line from their two blurbs is Graziano writing, “unless Indy makes a trade for a quarterback.” That would certainly be fascinating.
One Colts Trade Option
One name that could float in trade rumors in the weeks ahead is Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco — a former Colts starter.
Flacco is Joe Burrow’s backup, and the Bengals might not be in a hurry to get rid of him. But if a team were to make an offer for the veteran, maybe Cincy would consider it.
Flacco would certainly feel comfortable in Indianapolis, and he has stepped in for teams late in seasons before and performed well.
At this point, Flacco may be too over the hill to help. But given the Colts’ investment in Jones, they wouldn’t trade for some giant name. It would be a flier on a guy like Flacco that they’d take if they get desperate enough.
Colts’ Daniel Jones Benching Discussed by ESPN Before Week 6