The Indianapolis Colts have had a handful of truly great quarterbacks - Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning as the most notable - but struggled after Manning left Indianapolis. Things seemed to be turning around when Andrew Luck came to town, but after he left, general manager Chris Ballard took the Colts for a ride on a never-ending quarterback carousel - or so it seemed.
Heading into the 2025 season, it certainly appeared as if the carousel would continue. Between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, there wasn't much reason to be optimistic. Richardson has potential, but hasn't been able to capitalize on it, and Jones was mediocre at best.
But then the season started, with Jones at QB1, and his performance has shocked the league. Head coach Shane Steichen somehow found a way to unlock all of Jones' potential, and he's been one of the best QBs in the league so far. So it wasn't much of a surprise when he was invited to appear with none other than the GOAT himself, Peyton Manning, on the latest episode of ManningCast.
Eli Manning asks a silly question to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones
The interview started off with some jokes, as Eli Manning, who was also a quarterback for the New York Giants, albeit with more success than Jones, introduced their guest in hilarious fashion.
"My question is, do you agree with my take that you are already the greatest quarterback in Indianapolis Colts history?" Eli asked, to Peyton's obvious amusement.
"That's your take, huh? Three games, three games, that's your take?" Jones replied, laughing. "Yeah, I don't know if I can go that far yet, but it's been a good start for us."
Jones actually was Eli's teammate in New York for one year, when he was a rookie and Eli was in his final season before retiring, so the two already have a good relationship. And while, of course, fans have good reason to believe Jones could be the future of this franchise, the reality is also that he's likely not going to come close to Peyton himself.
And that's no hating on Jones, of course, because how many quarterbacks really can live up to someone of Peyton's caliber?
“Do you agree with me that you are already the best QB in @Colts history?” - @EliManning to Daniel Jones pic.twitter.com/9hHwRDza4u
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) September 23, 2025
Meanwhile, Jones also revealed that Peyton gave him some tips when he first came to Indianapolis.
"Just kind of some Colts history, some organizational stuff. I think a lot of his guys, some equipment guys, some trainers, the building, a lot of people are still here," Jones said. "So got some of that stuff and just kind of organizational, you know - the Irsay family and what they meant to the NFL. But he gave me some tips."
"I gave him some important stuff!" Peyton interjected. "Play golf at Crooked Stick, go eat dinner at St. Elmo's Steakhouse, OK? The equipment managers and the Colts are the best of the NFL, Frog and Tee and Smack. Right, Daniel? They know what a 12-yard comeback is. They're going to line up in the right spot for quarterback drills. The equipment manager catches a lot of those passes from quarterbacks and drills. The equipment guys of the Colts, they know what a 16-yard break-in is. And so I told him he was in good hands with all those places and people."
Now, Indianapolis Colts fans just need to hope that Daniel Jones can continue to play as well as he has so far this season. If he does, Indy is going to likely good to the playoffs. Maybe he will eventually lead Indy to a Super Bowl victory, just as Peyton Manning did.