Stephen HolderJan 19, 2026, 06:00 AM ETCloseStephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.Follow on X
And, yet, there was, doing what he could to help rookie quarterback Riley Leonard, conducting himself like a player very much invested in his team.
“He’s in every meeting,” coach Shane Steichen said a few days prior to the season finale. “… He comes to every practice. He’s always around. Still in the QB meetings. Off days, he’s in the QB room, studying the tape, preparing, even though he’s not playing. Still going through everything. So, he’s still fully engaged.”
Among them: How will negotiations play out given Jones’ significant injury? Does signing Jones to a multiyear deal make sense, and how much skepticism should the Colts have that Jones will be ready for the start of the 2026 season?
Jones had a career year in the 13 games he played before his injury, with career highs in passing yards (3,101), yards per attempt (8.1), completion rate (68%) and QBR (63.5). He knows coming back to Indianapolis to pair with Steichen and his offensive expertise makes sense.
“I learned a lot, I think, just being around these coaches,” Jones said, “being in the system, learning from Shane, learning from everybody here. Very, very grateful and appreciative of everyone and the experience here.”
When Jones was rolling along pre-injury, with the Colts lighting up scoreboards and ranking among the best offenses in the league in numerous categories, Jones seemed headed for a very lucrative deal in the spring. But the injury complicates things at least a little, even if the Colts maintain he will emerge just fine.
Asked whether the injury impacts the negotiations, general manager Chris Ballard said, “Of course. But we’ll work through that with his agent.”
There are bound to be some variables that will need to be confronted during contract talks. The Colts, for example, might wish to be conservative with guaranteed money given the uncertainty the injury creates. How Jones’ camp responds is a key question. If consensus is hard to achieve, does the franchise tag — projected to be north of $45 million for one year — come into play?
“I think, obviously, it’s a long process in recovery and there’s a time frame to it,” he said. “You’ve got to check a lot of boxes along the way, but I expect to be ready to go by training camp. So, we’ll attack the process and make sure I’m ready to go.”
Said Ballard: “I do feel confident that he will make it back. Will he be the version you saw right away? Maybe not, but he’s still going to be really good. I think as he goes along and plays, he’ll be fine.”
That list includes Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins, who tore an Achilles in Week 8 of the 2023 season and returned for the start of 2024 season. He played at an acceptable level, completing 65% of his attempts and averaging 216 passing yards per game in the first month of the season.
Aaron Rodgers, then with the New York Jets, had a full year to recover from an Achilles injury heading into the 2024 season. He started well enough, completing 64.1% of his attempts and averaging 212 passing yards in his first month back. Rodgers has offered Jones advice on attacking his rehab during phone conversations in the weeks since Jones was injured.
But there are also horror stories, like that of Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson. He re-ruptured his Achilles during rehab following his original October 2024 injury. That issue is considered a rare occurrence among athletes who undergo surgical repair, as Jones and these other quarterbacks have.
The Colts are still evaluating what other quarterback moves they might make, but they currently seem inclined to consider Leonard as a backup option to Jones in the event there are delays in his recovery. The future of Anthony Richardson Sr., the team’s 2023 first-round pick, is uncertain.
In any case, barring a stunning turn of events, Jones will be the Colts’ starting quarterback in 2026.
CloseStephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.Follow on X
INDIANAPOLIS — A month after Daniel Jones sustained a right torn Achilles tendon, with his rehabilitation barely underway and his lower leg still entirely immobilized, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback was wheeling his way around NRG Stadium in Houston, roughly 1,000 miles away from the comforts of his living room.
At the same time, Jones acknowledges the realities that lie ahead.
“Obviously, there’s a business side to it, and I understand that,” he said.
Said Ballard: “I think Daniel Jones has got a really bright future here in Indianapolis.”