The New York Giants finally rid themselves of the Daniel Jones experience last season, and now the Indianapolis Colts are trying to salvage what's left of his career after signing him this offseason to a one-year deal worth $14 million. That alone should tell you how dire things are in Indy.
ESPN’s Ben Solak handed the Colts the Biggest Portent of Doom Award for signing Jones, and honestly? It’s well deserved. The Horseshoes gave $14 million to a guy who was benched for Tommy DeVito, played a little scout team safety, and ended last season floating around the Vikings’ practice squad. If this is considered a smart move, the Colts might be in worse shape than anyone thought.
“For the last time, yes, it’s objectively a wise move to get Jones in the building to compete with Richardson. But the very fact that it is a wise move to add Jones highlights how dire of a situation the Colts franchise is in,” Solak wrote. “If snagging Jones from the Vikings is a big sigh of relief, then your franchise is in a bad way.”
From a team who gets it, the Colts’ quarterback plan makes no sense
To be fair, the Colts have a better offensive setup than the Giants ever gave Jones. Their interior line is stronger with Quentin Nelson headlining, and Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs give them a legitimate receiver trio the G-Men never gave Danny Dimes.
But what exactly is the plan over there?
If former fourth-overall pick Anthony Richardson is the future, why not bring in a more seasoned mentor who can help him grow? Instead, they added Jones, who’s had six seasons to prove himself and unfortunately just hasn’t been able to figure it out. Talk about a competition!
Jones’ career has been a rollercoaster of inconsistency, brief flashes of competence, and way too many turnovers. His 2022 season—the one that fooled the Giants into giving him a four-year, $160 million contract—looks more fluky by the day. Over the last three years combined, he’s thrown just 25 touchdowns in 32 starts. That’s 10 fewer than Sam Darnold had last season alone.
The Colts’ best-case scenario is that Jones pushes Richardson in camp, starts a handful of games, and keeps them somewhat competitive. But the more likely outcome? They just spent $14 million on a quarterback who was dangerously close to being written off as a career backup.
If this is their solution at quarterback, Solak’s free agency award was spot on.