Daniel Jones has options. The hope is that the Indianapolis Colts aren't so arrogant that they don't spend much effort in wooing Jones back to Indy, but instead simply assume he will return. That would be a mistake. Unless the team places the franchise tag on Danny Dimes, he is free to sign anywhere.
He might even return to a former team. Not the New York Giants, mind you, but the Minnesota Vikings. At least, according to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, that is a possibility. Fowler doesn't say Jones by name, but instead has a pretty simple coverall: Every top quarterback that might be available this offseason wants to be in Minnesota.
Fowler said, "My sense right now, from asking around, is all the top quarterbacks that will be, or could be, available, Kyler Murray, Geno Smith, this is the place they want to go. It is Minnesota."
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones might have a Minnesota Vikings option
Not listing Jones' name might simply be an accident. He is the top quarterback currently available this offseason without question. The others, Murray, Smith, and so on, aren't even free agents. They might get traded (or released), but if they are dealt by their teams, they don't have much say in where they end up. Jones does.
Fowler is betting that the Vikings have lost all faith in ascending third-year pro J.J. McCarthy. It might be too soon for that. McCarthy wasn't good this season, but he was basically a rookie, too. He might have his true rookie season with a knee injury. He could be much better in his second full year.
If he can stay healthy, of course. He hasn't proven he can do that. He was available in just 10 games this season. He might not have the greatest skill of all: Being able to play in most, if not all, of his team's games. Of course, Daniel Jones has had that issue, too, and it's something that should concern the Colts moving forward.
Jones has had three seasons cut short because of severe injuries. That, of course, includes the 2025 season. As Indianapolis Colts fans all know, the quarterback had a broken fibula and then tore an Achilles tendon. His health should lower his asking price in free agency.
If the Minnesota Vikings want to overpay for Jones in free agency (the team would be familiar with him for the two months he spent with the Vikings, without playing in a game, at the end of the 2024 season), Indy shouldn't try to match that. He's a good quarterback, but not a continuously healthy one.