The Indianapolis Colts chose to give quarterback Daniel Jones a lot of money this offseason, but maybe not for as long as he wanted. His new deal will pay him as much as $100 million over the next two seasons. The money is shocking for a player coming off an Achilles tendon tear, so why not give him more seasons?
Maybe Jones didn't want to do more than two seasons, but if the team was willing to give him as much per season as they did and might have been willing to go longer with that amount, why not take it? This is especially true if Jones isn't quite yet ready to return in Week 1 of next season.
There appear to be reasons for all of it. According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the quarterback is expected to be ready for next season, and maybe even during training camp. Of course, no one truly knows his timeline as he is still rehabbing, and pushing him to return is probably a mistake.
Daniel Jones new deal with the Indianapolis Colts is costly, but smart
His contract isn't a straight-up $50 million a year, either. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Jones "will earn $50M in 2026 before incentives, and $38M in 2027 before incentives, with $10M guaranteed." The breakdown of signing bonus versus playing performance isn't completely known yet, though.
No matter how one tries to slice the deal, the truth is that the QB will be paid more than fans likely expected. Indianapolis initial offer was closer to what Sam Darnold received from the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, which is $100.5 million over three years. On raw numbers, Jones' contract will exceed what he would have made on the franchise tag.
That means general manager Chris Ballard's gamble didn't completely pay off. He thought the transition tag might be enough to keep that quarterback with the team when applying the franchise tag would have saved more money in 2026, at least.
Still, the ultimate goal was to have Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce return, and that has happened. The team might still need to make moves to get under the salary cap by 4 pm ET on Wednesday, but without the cap hit known for Jones, the team might already be under the cap.
The Indianapolis Colts might have also made the smart move by not tying Daniel Jones up for more than two seasons. Last year was his best season in the league before he got hurt, and he needs to prove he can continue to be good before he earns a long-term deal. He will just, in essence, have two prove-it seasons while getting paid a lot to do just that.