Colts News: Daniel Jones Defends Transition Tag as Indianapolis Confirm $88 Million Deal

Even before Saquon Barkley managed to win the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, Daniel Jones’ contract already figured to be one of the biggest regrets in the New York Giants’ recent history. As a result, the G-Men promptly discarded Jones, but the Indianapolis Colts saw something in him and were ultimately willing to make a one-year, $14-million gamble on him.

Indy was immediately rewarded with an 8-2 start to the 2025 regular season, as well as one of the highest scoring offenses in the league, but an untimely Achilles tear prevented both Jones and the Colts from finishing the season on a high note.

Nevertheless, the franchise decided to use its transition tag on the veteran quarterback ahead of the legal tampering period before ultimately agreeing on a two-year, $88-million deal, ensuring that Jones will be the face of Indianapolis for at least the next few seasons.

“I wanted to be back, and I’m glad we got it figured out,” Jones noted during his most recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “The transition tag, that whole process, it was interesting, but I always wanted to be here and had faith it would work out. So, I’m definitely grateful, appreciative, and fired up to be here. We’ve got a special thing going here.”

Prior to their bye in Week 11, the Colts were averaging just over 32 points per game, and while the bulk of that scoring was done by their star running back, Jonathan Taylor, who managed to record 17 touchdowns throughout that 10-week stretch, it was also readily apparent by the end of the season that Jones was responsible for a good portion of their overall success.

That’s mainly because, throughout the final four games of the season, when they were missing Jones, the offense’s average plummeted back down to 22.5 points per game.

Thankfully, for both Jones and the Colts, the 28-year-old appears to be making a smooth recovery. “It’s a process and I’m going through it, but my goal is to be back by Week 1,” Jones asserted.

Suffice to say, that’s exactly what McAfee and the rest of the Colts’ fan base had been waiting to hear. Now, all that’s left to do is reclaim the momentum that they enjoyed throughout the first half of the 2025 season.

There’s still plenty of question marks when it comes to Jones’ ceiling and what he’s capable of doing during the winter season, but so long as he’s able to replicate the formula that the Colts had initially concocted during this past fall, then it’s more likely than not that he’ll be able to prove himself worthy of these sizable contract extensions.