The Indianapolis Colts are going to need another new starting quarterback. That much is obvious. The problem isn't just that Daniel Jones was injured, likely tearing his Achilles tendon, and will miss the rest of the season, but that he could miss much of next year, too.
The other glaring problem is that Jones isn't signed for 2026. He is a free agent, and his injury probably cost him a lot of money in free agency. That might not be fair, but the business of the NFL is tough. Giving tens of millions to a player with an injury history is extremely risky, obviously.
Assuming Danny Dimes did tear his Achilles and misses at least half of next season, Indy going into the season with Anthony Richardson as the starter, knowing he has failed in the previous two seasons, would exactly lead to much hope among fans.
Could Aaron Rodgers be QB1 for the Indianapolis Colts in 2026?
Indianapolis has a good roster, and should the defense ever get healthy, that unit might be quite good. The Colts also have running back Jonathan Taylor and a bunch of excellent wide receivers, so a quality QB may be able to take Indianapolis to the postseason.
That won't be Daniel Jones, and it might never be. His play of late has been far worse than how good he was in the first eight games. Expecting him to be consistently as good as he was early in the season would be foolish. He might be iffy to re-sign, assuming he received a deal of $40 million a season or more, even if he were healthy.
The free agent market in 2026 isn't great, but one player is on the list who would oddly make perfect sense for the Indianapolis Colts. Aaron Rodgers, currently playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is at the end of his career and seems to go season by season. If the Steelers don't try to bring him back, and assuming he wants to keep playing, he would fit in Indy.
He certainly could run head coach Shane Steichen's system well (and Steichen is very unlikely to be fired, and shouldn't be), and he would elevate the Colts' 2026 season. It might also be a draw that Rodgers would be playing his home games in an indoor stadium.
Indianapolis can afford the quarterback who probably won't get a high-value contract from anyone, and he would probably be consistently better than Jones. Richardson could still be the backup, and Riley Leonard would stay on the roster. Jones would sign elsewhere.