Daniel Jones is signing a one-year, $14 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Jones spent five-plus seasons as the starting quarterback for the New York Giants before being benched and then released midway through the 2024 campaign. Jones will join a Colts team with third-year quarterback Anthony Richardson who was in and out of the lineup in 2024 after being benched midway through the season.
Richardson presumably has a leg up on the starting job heading into 2025, but Jones’ presence on the roster as a former NFL starter will put pressure on the 22-year-old former first-round pick who’s struggled through his first two seasons.
Jones was selected by the Giants with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft as the presumed successor to longtime quarterback Eli Manning. Jones never panned out as a viable starting NFL quarterback.
Jones struggled with turnovers as a rookie, throwing 12 interceptions and fumbling a league-high 19 times in 13 games in 2019. He fumbled 10 times and threw 10 interceptions in 14 games in 2020. Through his first three seasons, the Giants were 12-25 in games Jones had started, and questions about his job security swirled.
Then in 2022, the Giants went 9-6-1 with Jones at quarterback as his ball security improved. Jones threw just five interceptions and fumbled six times that season while earning Comeback Player of the Year votes. The effort earned Jones a four-year, $160 million contract extension. He made it through a season-plus of the deal.
Jones regressed in six games in 2023 before his season ended with a torn ACL. He continued to struggle in 10 starts (63.3% completion rate, 6.1 yards per attempt, 8 touchdowns, 7 interceptions) in 2024 as the Giants went 2-8 before they benched and later released him after Week 10.
Jones signed with the Vikings late in the season, but never played a snap.
Little about Jones’ tenure with the Giants suggests he’s more than a backup in the NFL, but his $14 million salary and the Colts’ approach to Richardson suggest he’ll be expected to compete for the starting job.
Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, has struggled with accuracy in his two seasons in the NFL. Richardson completed 59.5% of his passes in four games of a rookie season that was cut short by injury. He regressed in his second season with a 47.7% completion rate while throwing eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said in February he wanted “real competition” for Richardson for the starting job. Jones is that competition.
