Daniel Jones has worked his way back from injury to begin his second season as the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.
New insight from a national NFL writer, though, suggests that Jones may not be guaranteed work in Indy beyond this season.
The news came from Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr in an article on Thursday. Orr, SI’s national NFL writer, used his league-wide expertise to speculate on what the futures look like for various quarterbacks around the NFL.
The article was headlined by Lamar Jackson, whose future with the Baltimore Ravens isn’t certain. It included names like Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Kyler Murray.
But one of the players that Orr broke down was Jones, which is a fascinating possibility.
Jones has another year on his contract with the Colts, but Indianapolis both has a possible opt-out but also potential ways to trade Jones if the 2026 season isn’t as good for Jones as 2025 was.
Of course, Indy will be aiming to match its early-season productivity of a year ago. If Jones is healthy, maybe the Colts can do just that. But there’s also plenty of examples in Jones’ career of him not reaching his ceiling. A step backward will raise questions in Indianapolis.
Could Colts Trade Daniel Jones?
In a scenario where the Colts give up on Jones, a trade could be in the cards, if they don’t do a contract opt-out.
And at least based on Orr’s assessment, even in that scenario, there would be other teams with lots of interest in Jones.
“Still, there is a hive of coaches who love Jones’s toughness and processing ability,” Orr writes. “We’ve seen what is possible with a humming run game, and Jones will enter the 2027 free-agency period just shy of his 30th birthday. With experience in a Brian Daboll offense—currently the coordinator of a team that is discovering what Cam Ward can be—and a Kevin O’Connell offense alongside Shane Steichen’s system, Jones has value on the open market and, again, had a sizable 10-game stretch of last season where he had a higher EPA per play than Josh Allen. If the Colts’ season goes south to the point that Jones is available, teams may be interested in buying low on his potential with an added year of recovery from the ACL tear.”
It’s at least something worth watching if the Colts hit some bumps in the road.
Reason for Colts Optimism
In the same blurb, Orr reminds Colts fans just how good Indy’s offense was early in the 2025 season with Jones at the helm.
“While it’s hard to believe, the Colts were Greatest Show On Turf–level efficient during a torrid start to the season, before injuries took hold and Philip Rivers was dragged off a high school football field to attempt to save the season,” Orr writes.
The Colts sure would like to avoid any Rivers-like scenarios this season. If Jones can stay healthy, that’s the optimal Indianapolis outcome. It’s just not the only possible path forward.
Colts Door Left Open to Daniel Jones Trade