Colts 28-Year-Old Quarterback Gets the Transition Tag
What a turnaround season it’s been for quarterback Daniel Jones. After finishing the 2024 NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings, Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency on a one-year deal. Before the start of the season, Colts general manager Chris Ballard said there would be an open competition between Jones and third-year quarterback Anthony Richardson to see who opens up the season as the starter. Indianapolis started the season 7-1 with the former Giants and Vikings QB at center.
The Colts looked on top of the world and had a clear path to the NFL Playoffs until they lost four of five games from early November to the beginning of December. Then, on December 7th, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones tore his Achilles tendon in the first quarter, putting him out for the rest of the season. Although the Colts ultimately ended up missing the playoffs, the 28-year-old put himself on the map as a quarterback who can lead a team after a miserable stint with the New York Giants. Now back on the free agent market, today it was announced by Adam Schefter that the Colts placed the transition tag on their 28-year-old quarterback.
Jones was a walk-on at Duke University and was redshirted his first season. In 2016, he became the starter, throwing 8,201 passing yards in his three seasons at Duke. He was drafted as the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Giants. With New York, Jones brought the Giants to the playoffs in 2022, defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round before being eliminated by the Philadelphia Eagles. By 2024, New York, the organization, and the fanbase seemed to be over the Jones era, and eventually, he was released. He signed with the Vikings a few days after his release from the Giants, becoming the backup for Sam Darnold in Minnesota. Once the season concluded, Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks, and the 28-year-old went to Indianapolis.
In 13 games, Jones recorded 3,101 passing yards on a 68 percent completion rate. He averaged 238 passing yards a game and finished the season with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. During the Colts 38-14 win over the Tennessee Titans this past season, Jones threw 272 passing yards and three touchdowns in the win. In his next game, although he threw three interceptions, the 28-year-old quarterback collected 342 passing yards in a 27-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Colts, Jones looks to produce his best season yet and make waves as a solid quarterback for Indianapolis.
