Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones missed time last season due to injury. But now that he’s back, will he put together an MVP-caliber season?
The Colts had a wacky 2025 campaign. They started out with an impressive 8-2 record, looking like serious Super Bowl contenders. But then everything crumbled into pieces as they somehow lost the last seven games of the year and missed the playoffs.
Jones’ absence had a lot to do with that, as he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Can he bounce back in 2026, though, and play like he did before last year’s injury?
Colts’ Daniel Jones Is Primed for an MVP-Caliber Season
Spotlighting His Career
The New York Giants selected Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was supposed to develop into the team’s franchise quarterback, but that never quite materialized.
Jones did have a good season, though, in 2022. That year, he threw for 3,2015 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed for 708 yards and seven scores. More importantly, Jones led the Giants to the postseason. He even helped the team win a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Jones’ performance in 2022 landed him a massive $160 million contract extension. But unfortunately, his career went downhill after that.
In 2024, the Giants benched Daniel Jones and subsequently released him. He then signed with the Vikings, but he never played a game for them, backing up Sam Darnold.
Last offseason, the Colts signed Jones to a one-year, $14 million deal. Anthony Richardson, whom the team drafted fourth overall in 2023, was expected to be the starter for the 2025 season.
However, Daniel Jones won the job in training and threw for 3,101 yards and 19 touchdowns. Through 10 games last season, Jones was one of league’s top quarterbacks while the Colts’ offense was off to a red-hot start.
Is an MVP Season Realistic?
Daniel Jones
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) runs downfield after a catch Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, during practice at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Richardson and second-year pro Riley Leonard are currently battling for the Colts’ No. 2 quarterback job. It’s unclear who will win that battle.
However, there’s no debate that Jones will be the starter. That’s why the Colts re-signed him to a two-year, $88 million contract this offseason. Although the Achilles injury was serious, it obviously didn’t scare the team off. Indianapolis believes he can return to his 2025 form, as he thrived in head coach Shane Steichen’s offense.
Is an MVP-caliber season realistic for Daniel Jones? The answer is yes, but he must stay healthy. He has been banged up quite often during his career. Jones has appeared in at least 16 games only once, which was the 2022 campaign. His 13-game 2025 season was the most he has played in the last three years. So again, he has to shake off the injury bug.
Being surrounded by several talented pass-catchers is what every quarterback dreams of. And Jones has that luxury in Indianapolis. The team has solid receivers like Alec Pierce, who was recently activated from the physically unable to perform list, newcomer Keenan Allen, and holdover Josh Downs. There’s also 2025 first-round pick Tyler Warren, who’s already one of the NFL’s best tight ends.
Plus, the Colts have an elite running back in three-time Pro Bowler Jonathan Taylor. Handing the ball off to him several times a game will surely make Jones’s life easier.
A fellow quarterback like Patrick Mahomes (if he can have a bounce-back year), Josh Allen, or Lamar Jackson probably have the best chance at winning the NFL MVP Award this season. But don’t rule out Daniel Jones.
Main Image: INDIANAPOLIS STAR-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images