Not everyone has shared my opinion on former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, but I’m starting to change my tune and wonder if he leans more toward “I like money” than “I do it for the love of the game.”
Danny Dimes turned Indiana Jones is a high-character, hardworking guy whose reputation shouldn’t and won’t be attacked here. That being said, it's borderline outrageous that the amount of money he has made over the course of his soon-to-be eight-year career. He's earned $122.8 million so far, but you'll have to add an extra $100 million to the total after his latest deal with the Colts, as reported by NFL insider Ian Rapoport:
The #Colts are locking in their QB, finalizing a deal with Daniel Jones to secure the most important position, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2026
It’s a 2-year, $100M contract done by his agents at @AthletesFirst. The biggest two-year deal in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/Y5NuKb87xr
Jones' two-year deal isn't ridiculous in length, but the $50 milly per season is where things start to tornado'd off the tracks, especially with context. The 28-year-old is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury that he suffered in Week 14. Although he's supposedly expecting to be ready to go by Week 1. Must have a super Achilles or something.
Daniel Jones just pulled off the heist of the NFL offseason
Mr. Steal Your Checkbook might not be the most electric quarterback in the league, but he might be the most financially efficient one (Kirk Cousins might like to have a word). Somehow, some way, he keeps finding himself in situations where teams convince themselves that they should throw at least $40 million a year at him.
The G-Men did it in 2023 after one playoff run and handed him a $160 million extension. That gamble aged like milk, and Jones was out of New York less than two years later.
Now the Colts have stepped up to take their turn. Indy first slapped the transition tag on him and has now doubled down with a two-year extension worth up to $100 million with incentives. Even the base numbers come out to roughly $44 million per year for a quarterback coming off an Achilles injury.
To be fair, the Colts aren’t completely out of their minds here. Jones went 8-5 last season before getting hurt and threw for over 3,100 yards with a respectable 19-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio. For a team that has been stuck in quarterback limbo since Andrew Luck, convincing themselves they’ve found something probably feels worth the risk.
Still, the money is what makes everyone raise an eyebrow. Between the Giants contract and this new deal with Indianapolis, Jones is now pushing toward a quarter-billion dollars in career earnings. That’s an incredible financial résumé for a QB who has topped 20 passing touchdowns in a season exactly once... as a rookie, no less.
Good for him, honestly. But the “Mr. Nice Guy just grinding for the love of football” persona is getting harder to sell when the checks keep going up. It's mind-boggling how this keeps happening.