The Indianapolis Colts signed Daniel Jones in free agency, in one of the biggest moves they made this offseason. Though Jones had a position with the Minnesota Vikings, he had a breakout season in 2022 while playing with the New York Giants, but he was never quite able to recapture that success. Jones suffered multiple injuries in 2023, and struggled when he was able to play in 2024 - leading to him eventually being benched in favor of Tommy DeVito, and then traded to Minnesota before the season was up.
Though Jones was never a starter for Minnesota, they wanted to keep him. In fact, according to Tom Pelissero, he took a pay cut to join the Colts:
“It sounded like the Vikings thought Daniel Jones was coming back…he ended up taking a little bit less in terms of guaranteed money from the Colts.”@TomPelissero with an interesting tidbit about the Vikings QB room: pic.twitter.com/ZXqXk9sKk3
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) May 7, 2025
Jones was brought in to serve as competition for Anthony Richardson, who had previously been assumed to have one more chance at QB1. But instead, general manager Chris Ballard announced Richardson would have to fight to keep his job, and they began shopping for quarterbacks, though Jones was always assumed to be a frontrunner.
Once all was said and done, Jones signed a one-year deal for $14 million, meaning that both his and Richardson's fates both hang in the balance of the 2025 season.
" It sounded like the Vikings thought Jones was coming back, but then they just got the sense right at the end that he was really not convicted about coming back to Minnesota. Ended up taking a little bit less in terms of guaranteed money from the Colts to end up in Indianapolis."
Yet now, it's clear that this decision from Jones was a gamble; he could have stayed in Minnesota, and gotten more money to boot. This news makes it clear that the earlier rumors were true: Jones wants the chance to be a starting quarterback again, even though he has struggled almost as much as Anthony Richardson has.
If Jones ends up losing QB1 to Richardson, as many believe he will, then his future will be in serious jeopardy. His chances of landing with another team as their starter will be slim to none, whereas staying in Minnesota would have given him a longer future, albeit as QB2. Will it end up being worth the risk? Only time will tell.