Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard spoke as if it were assumed that quarterback Daniel Jones would return to the team in free agency this offseason. Of course, that could prove to be false. Unless the team franchise-tags the QB (and they shouldn't), Jones can sign anywhere he wants.
One of the unsaid questions about Jones and Indy is whether the team should actually spend much to have him back? The quarterback was very good through the first half of the season, but he was beginning to digress a bit before he fractured his fibula and before he tore his Achilles tendon.
In the last five games he played this season, he had five interceptions, and he fumbled seven times. He didn't lose all of those fumbles, but ball control in the pocket was a real concern. Had opposing defenses begun to figure him out in the Indianapolis system before he was hurt and had to miss the rest of the season? Maybe.
Should the Indianapolis Colts think twice about re-signing Daniel Jones?
Bleacher Report's Alex Kay, for one, thinks every team counting on Daniel Jones to be their savior moving forward needs to be careful. In a recent article about which free agents teams should avoid, Jones is listed at the top. Kay's reason is sound, too.
Kay writes, "Between Weeks 9-14, the Colts won just one of five games—and needed overtime to accomplish that lone victory—with Jones struggling to keep his blistering pace from earlier in the season. His completion rate dipped to 62.4 percent, he had nearly as many interceptions (five) as touchdowns (six), and only managed a single rushing score in those contests."
Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen also have another reason for being potentially hesitant to re-sign Jones. While he appears to be the best possible option in free agency among quarterbacks, other QBs could become available. Jones also might not be able to play in Week 1 or even a few weeks into the season after a Week 14 Achilles tendon tear.
Other teams know that too, and that might keep them from wanting to sign Jones. That would make it easier for the Colts to do so.
Meanwhile, Ballard and Steichen have to succeed in 2026, or they could be out of their jobs. It might very well be playoffs or bust for the Indianapolis Colts' general manager and head coach. Is counting on Jones to be as good as he was through the first eight games of this past season and be healthy enough to start at the beginning of next season asking too much?
Maybe the Colts should look elsewhere for the 2026 QB1, if Alex Kay is correct. Who knows who that might be, however. The truth is that Ballard and Steichen better find the answer or be looking for new positions in 2027.