Daniel Jones chose his best path to starting again over a sense of comfort.
The Giants’ failed franchise quarterback reportedly agreed to terms Tuesday with the Colts instead of returning to the Vikings, where he had a good read on the playbook but likely would’ve been just a placeholder for the J.J. McCarthy Era.
Jones’ one-year contract is worth $14 million (up to $17.7 million with playing-time incentives) and includes $13.15 million guaranteed.
It’s a strong deal for a quarterback who was 24-44-1 in six seasons as the Giants starter, including 3-13 in his 16 starts after signing a franchise-altering four-year, $160 million extension.
Jones, 27, will compete against Anthony Richardson for the chance to start Week 1 for the Colts. The inconsistent Richardson — a raw talent who was the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft — has completed just 50.6 percent of his pᴀsses in 15 career games, with another 19 missed due to injuries and a benching during his second season.
In Jones, the Colts have a workaholic who was universally lauded for his commitment and effort but struggled with on-field decision-making and durability behind subpar offensive lines. Richardson’s commitment has been questioned, especially since he pulled himself out of a game last season for being fatigued.
The Giants cut Jones last November but still will absorb a $22.2 million ᴅᴇᴀᴅ money charge on the 2025 salary cap.
Jones quickly signed with the Vikings for the chance to learn from esteemed head coach/playcaller Kevin O’Connell, who elevated quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold to new heights. He finished the regular season on the practice squad and was elevated to the No. 2 spot for the playoffs but never took a snap in Minnesota.
The idea behind that union was that Jones could get a jump on the playbook and re-sign if Darnold left in free agency. Well, Darnold left to start for the Seahawks, so the Vikings offered Jones the chance to stay alongside McCarthy — the 2024 first-round draft pick who missed his entire rookie season due to two knee injuries.
McCarthy is expected to be ready to practice in the spring, however, so Jones’ path to the field could have been blocked unless McCarthy had a recovery setback or struggled. Darnold enjoyed a Pro Bowl season with the Vikings – and it was no coincidence that he was playing with better talent than he had when he was declared a bust for the Jets and Panthers.
If Jones is going to have his Darnold-like renaissance, it will be under Colts head coach Shane Steichen, behind an offensive line that just starting guard Will Fries to the Vikings (of all teams) and with a trio of young 800-yard receivers in Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce and Josh Downs. Most quarterbacks only get two opportunities to be a starter before being labeled as a “career backup.”
But there is some familiarity for Jones: Colts pᴀssing game coordinator Alex Tanney was one of the Giants backup quarterbacks during Jones’ first two seasons (2019-2020). And Jones and Richardson could run similar RPO plays as big-bodied dual threats.
Jones had maybe the best regular-season game of his career at the Colts’ expense – a four-touchdown (two rushing, two pᴀssing) performance to clinch a playoff berth in 2022. That wound up as Jones’ final win at MetLife Stadium, and it was all downhill after a playoff win against the Vikings two weeks later.
