This offseason, the Indianapolis Colts signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a one-year, $14 million contract. Although he’s only on a one-year deal, he could eventually sign an extension with Indianapolis.
The Colts recently agreed to a four-year extension with tackle Bernhard Raimann. Jake Arthur of Sports Illustrated listed Jones as a Colts player who could be next to sign an extension:
“While Jones is widely viewed externally as a temporary bridge in Indianapolis to compete for the starting quarterback job, if he gets on the field this year and leads the Colts to success, there’s a good chance they’ll want to see more of him beyond his current one-year contract. He could also perform well enough for the Colts to still want to invest in another quarterback but have Jones around still to either start until a rookie is ready, compete to be the starter, or be the backup. How Anthony Richardson does this year is the X-factor in all of it.”
Arthur is right. It all depends on how Richardson plays this season. If he steps up and has a breakout year, Jones isn’t going to return to Indianapolis in 2026.
Daniel Jones Listed as Next Player to Sign a Contract Extension with the Indianapolis Colts
Can He Return to 2022 Form?
2022 was a horrible season for the Colts. They finished with a lousy 4-12-1 record.
Meanwhile, it was the best season of Jones’ career. That year, he had a passer rating of 92.5, throwing for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Jones also rushed for a career-high 708 yards and seven touchdowns. In addition, he led the New York Giants to the playoffs, where they got a win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Jones’ 2022 performance landed him a massive $160 million contract extension. However, his following season was ruined due to injury. He missed Weeks 6-8 with a neck injury before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 9. When he did play, Jones had just 909 yards and two scores against six interceptions. That was more in six games than he gave up in 16 starts during the 2022 campaign.
Jones could receive an extension from the Colts if he returns to his 2022 form. We’ll see if that happens, though.
Can Jones Become QB1?
For Jones to receive a contract extension from Indy, he’ll, of course, have to become QB1. He was brought in to compete with Richardson for the starting role this year. It’ll be interesting to see which former top-10 pick will win the job.
The Colts drafted Richardson fourth overall in 2023. Sadly, the former Florida Gator hasn’t become the team’s franchise QB yet. He has dealt with multiple injuries thus far and completed less than 48 percent of his passes in 2024.
Richardson might beat out Jones for the starting job. He could also have a monster 2025 season and redeem himself. But then again, Richardson could have another disappointing year in Indianapolis.
If that’s the case, and Jones takes over and has an impressive season, he just might stick around for a while. He’s surrounded by talented pass-catchers like Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Tyler Warren. Guys like that could help him revive his career and land an extension.
Main Image: Mykal McEldowney – Imagn Images
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