Through the first half of the season, Indianapolis Colts QB Daniel Jones seemed on pace to lead the team to the playoffs and maybe even win the MVP award. But a midseason Achilles tear ended both dreams.
Now with the team's decision on Jones' contract for 2026 looming, the Colts have decided to keep him for at least another year.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Colts are placing the transition tag on Jones, keeping him under wraps for 2026. The transition tag allows the Colts to match any offer made for Jones in free agency, but would pay him over $35 million if he doesn't get an offer sheet.
"NEWS: The Colts are placing the transition tag on QB Daniel Jones, per sources. Jones, who signed a one-year deal with Indy last offseason, was pacing for a career year before tearing his Achilles in Week 14," Russini reported today.
Down bad, up good and down bad again
The Colts signed Jones to a one-year contract in 2025, thinking that he might be at worst a decent backup for third-year QB Anthony Richardson. Instead, Jones seized the starting job and took the Colts on a tear.
In 13 games as a starter, Jones had one of the best seasons of his career. He went 8-5, completing a career-high 68-percent of his passes for 3,101 yards and 19 touchdowns with just eight interceptions.
Unfortunately, Jones' injury was ill-timed. They lost their final four games of the season even after dragging Philip Rivers out of retirement to try and save them.
The big question now is whether Jones can successfully replicate the success he had through his first 13 games while staying healthy enough to see it through to the finish line.
If he can, the Colts will probably ink him to a long-term deal this time next season. If he can't, he'll probably be looking for new employment in 2027.