Daniel Jones
Getty
Daniel Jones suffered two leg injuries in the 2025 season
Shane Steichen will return for a fourth season as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and looks to make the playoffs for the first time.
While the Colts ended the season on a 7-game losing streak, there were some bright spots, including having the eighth-highest scoring offense despite having three different quarterbacks as starters.
Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year, $14 million deal, was playing like the franchise QB for the team before suffering a fractured leg and torn Achilles that ended his season.
The former Duke Blue Devil mentioned that he would like to return to the organization and is currently undergoing contract talks with Indianapolis.
Due to his injuries, it will be hard for Jones to be ready and be behind the center in Week 1 of next season.
Bringing Back A Familiar Face
Gardner Minshew
GettyIndy could bring back a former member of the team
Backups Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard are the two options to take the helm for Daniel Jones as he returns to 100%.
Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard said that Richardson is still undergoing development and mentioned what the future will hold for the fourth-overall pick.
Leonard appears unlikely to be given a true shot to be the starter, as the Colts opted to bring Philip Rivers out of retirement instead of going with him when Jones was ruled out for the season.
Indy may have to go out and acquire a quarterback in the offseason, with an ESPN analyst making a bold prediction for the Colts.
ESPN’s Seth Walder released his predictions on who will be the starting quarterbacks for all 32 teams in the 2026 season, naming former Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew as Indy’s Week 1 starter.
“I suspect the team wants to bring Jones back but would likely prefer to sign him to a multiyear deal considering he is unlikely to play until late 2026 at the earliest. But the Colts have some leverage. As much as they might need Jones, they also offer him a better path to starting again in a situation where he’s had more success than anywhere else,” Walder wrote. “But if the Colts bring Jones back, they’ll need another QB to start the season. And they would want it to be someone they can win with in the short and medium term.”
“Enter Minshew. The journeyman had more success playing for Shane Steichen in 2023 than at any other point in his career… Because Minshew’s star has fallen, he would be a cheap option for the Colts to pair with second-year QB Riley Leonard while they wait for Jones to heal.”
In the 2025 season, Minshew was the backup to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and started a game after Mahomes suffered an ACL tear — the backup also suffered a leg injury.
Minshew had 3,300+ passing yards and 15 touchdown passes in his only season with the AFC South team, earning him a Pro Bowl nod.
If the Colts were to bring Minshew back, it would give the team someone with familiarity with the offensive scheme.
Gardner Minshew Health Update
Chiefs place Gardner Minshew on IR after injury update news.
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew was not placed on IR
In his first start replacing Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew suffered a bone bruise, originally thought to be an ACL tear, that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
A recent update revealed that Minshew is 100% and will hit free agency with plenty of suitors.
Minshew featured in all 17 games with the Indianapolis Colts in the 2023 season, starting in 13.
With some durability and knowledge of head coach Shane Steichen and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, Minshew could return to his Pro Bowl status.