Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles on Sunday in a loss that pushed the Indianapolis Colts further out of first place in the division. The team is in danger here, as they were fading before the injury. Now, they might be toast in an AFC that’s heating up, and the future, for both Indy and other QB-needy teams, is not in good shape anymore.
Daniel Jones’ injury sends shockwaves through NFL
The Indianapolis Colts brought Daniel Jones in to be a mentor for Anthony Richardson and provide some competition for him. The former first-round pick ceded his job to Jones, and Jones took it and ran with it. For a moment, albeit a brief one, he looked like an MVP candidate.
Even as his success faded and the team struggled a bit down the stretch, it was clear he would be the best option of the veterans who may or may not be on the move this offseason. Unfortunately, that’s all out the window now. A long-term extension by the Colts was likely, and now it’s not as plausible. A bidding war between Indianapolis and other teams was also very likely, and now that’s not going to happen.
The Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Jets all could’ve conceivably been interested.
Return to high-level sports after a torn Achilles takes 6-12 months. In all likelihood, Jones will not return until at least the midway point of next season, so the Colts will have to find another option, as will any team that might’ve considered him. It remains to be seen if a team will even sign him in free agency. He could be out until this time next year, which would render a contract almost pointless. Teams could sign him to another one-year flier with a voidable salary if he can’t play, but he was on track for at least something with multiple years and $30 million or more annually.
His free agency is now in shambles, but the Colts have no clear path forward. They clearly like this roster and liked Jones, which is why they went all-in on adding Sauce Gardner. Anthony Richardson, a former top-five pick, could make sense, but he’s hurt now as well, and he was also not very good when starting. He’s still young, but he does not remotely resemble the QB of a win-now roster. He’s far too young and raw to lead a playoff charge right now, which is what the Colts are trying to do.
Those other teams are also in scramble mode now, but this does do one good thing for another player. Kyler Murray’s tenure with the Arizona Cardinals is likely over. He’s probably going to be traded.
He and Jones were the two best vet options on the QB market, assuming the Cardinals don’t stunningly reverse course and keep him. Now, there’s only one of those options left, so the price just went up. The Cardinals can probably get so much more for him because QB-needy teams will have to pay up with Jones out of the question. Teams that wanted a vet to bridge the gap for a rookie, depending on how the draft falls and which prospects declare, will also have to look at other options. Murray, as expensive as he is, isn’t a good fit for that, but there will still be a hot market for him.
With one single play, Jones’ future, the Colts’ present and future, and several NFL teams’ offseason plans got totally thrown into flux. It’s not a good time to be a fan of any of those parties.
