Daniel Jones is a happy person. This is what getting a new deal from the Indianapolis Colts that will reportedly pay the quarterback for two years and as much as $100 million, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, will do, and Jones is already talking about how overjoyed he is.
He said as much on the Pat McAfee Show soon after agreeing with Indy. He told the former Colts punter, "I wanted to be back, and glad we got it figured out. The transition tag, that whole process, was interesting, but I always wanted to be here...but definitely appreciative, grateful, and fired up...We got a special thing going...fired up to get Alec (Pierce) back and all that."
Daniel Jones, of course, is a lot like his head coach, Shane Steichen. Neither is overly effusive in their words or expressions, so Jones saying "fired up" twice in the course of two sentences might equate to someone jumping up and down screaming. Jones means it.
Daniel Jones speaks with Pat McAfee about his new deal with the Indianapolis Colts
Now comes the hard work. The quarterback is still rehabbing from tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 14, and while he has been projected to be ready for Week 1 in 2026, no guarantee exists that he will. Moreover, he will need to address the turnover issues that began to creep in midway through this past season.
None of this is to cause worry, of course, and Jones proved he could be a very good fit in Steichen's scheme during the first eight games of the season when the team began 7-1. By the time Jones tore his Achilles, the team was out of the playoffs, but he was also playing on a broken fibula.
All of that is a long way of saying that Daniel Jones appears to be the kind of player who will do everything in his power to help his team win, including playing on a broken leg. He is also a smart player, and his teammates, such as Jonathan Taylor, have raved about his preparedness.
If the Indianapolis Colts fail after paying Daniel Jones as much as $50 million a season, it won't be because the team didn't try. The team even paid more for Pierce, $29 million a season over four years, than many speculated. Chris Ballard wants to succeed, and he desperately needs Indy to make the postseason this season for the first time since 2020.
Are the pieces in place for that to happen? Daniel Jones obviously thinks so. Now, the Colts simply have to prove him to be correct.