The Indianapolis Colts are paying Daniel Jones nearly $50 million this season to be their starting quarterback.
How’s that working out for them?
Well, for those who might be under a rock:
- The Colts are 2-4.
- They lost Sunday to the previously winless Tennessee Titans.
- Jones is struggling immensely.
- GM Chris Ballard was fired on Monday.
That about sums it up.
Despite Jones’ struggles, head coach Shane Steichen has endorsed him as his starting QB going forward. That means former No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson remains on the bench, and it’ll be Jones trying to rescue Indy’s season before it’s too late.
In the midst of all this, Jones is getting some warranted criticism from the national media.
That includes from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, who didn’t hold back in an article after the Colts’ Week 6 loss to the Titans.
Daniel Jones’ Decision Called ‘Worst’
Graziano wrote an entire blurb about Jones in his new article, and the subheading for the blurb was this:
“The Daniel Jones extension was the biggest mistake any team made this offseason.”
The premise of Graziano’s column was to judge whether certain statements were overreactions, but for this one, he wrote that it wasn’t
“Could it get better? Sure. Lots of things can happen,” Graziano writes. “But how much better can we really expect things to get in Indy? The defense hasn’t been very good. Jonathan Taylor isn’t having a great season. Alec Pierce, another of their big offseason extensions, is on injured reserve. Star tight end Tyler Warren got hurt in practice late last week and missed Sunday’s game. It seems as if things are getting worse in Indianapolis instead of better. And if Jones doesn’t make an incredible turnaround and get this team into the playoffs, a whole lot of seats are going to start feeling pretty darn hot out there.”
Graziano wrote that before Ballard’s firing, and it sure looks like quite the foreshadowing now.
Contract Troubles
Jones was coming off a season-ending torn Achilles and got his big deal anyway.
“The Colts were so determined to keep Jones as their quarterback this offseason, even though he was coming off a season-ending Achilles tear, that they used the transition tag to keep him off the free agent market, then handed him a two-year, $88 million contract with nearly $50 million guaranteed,” Graziano writes. “Through six weeks, the Colts are 2-4 and Jones is statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.”
The Colts did begin last year 8-2 with a red-hot offense before Jones’ injuries derailed their season. They were likely hoping he had more of that in him.
But at the moment, it sure looks like Jones isn’t going to be replicating that fast 8-2 start anytime soon.
Colts’ Daniel Jones Mistake Called Out as Worst in NFL