Colts GM all in on bringing back QB Daniel Jones

Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard believes the Colts have what they need at quarterback, beginning with Daniel Jones.

The quarterback room went through multiple transitions as former starter Anthony Richardson yielded the spot in preseason to free-agent signee Jones, who like Richardson later sustained a season-ending injury. Indianapolis resorted to bringing Philip Rivers, 44, out of retirement before the team played its way out of playoff contention and started rookie Riley Leonard in the season finale.

Jones, 28, is recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon in December, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent in March.

"I'm looking at (Jones) both near and long (term)," Ballard said Thursday at his season-ending news conference.

"When you're chasing the quarterback all the time, it makes it very hard," Ballard said. "Your margin for error really shrinks down. And I feel very good about Daniel Jones and where he's at, where he's going. Yes, he's got the Achilles. But I think Daniel Jones has got a really bright future here in Indianapolis."

Ballard acknowledged the injury will impact contract negotiations but doesn't see it as a deal breaker.

"I'm not a doctor, and I'm not God in terms of knowing what the future's gonna hold in his healing," Ballard said. "... The history of guys coming back has been pretty good and they've been older than Daniel.

"Daniel is 28 years old, and he's a pretty freaky talent in terms of athletic ability. So no, I do feel confident that he'll make it back. Will he be the version you saw right away? Maybe not, but he's still going to be really good."

Jones was really good in his first season with the Colts after inconsistent play and multiple injuries (neck, ACL) with the New York Giants (2019-24).

Jones passed for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading Indianapolis to an 8-2 start. He played through a fractured left fibula and went 8-5 as the starter before his season ended with the Achilles injury on Dec. 7 in a loss in Jacksonville.

The Colts finished the season with a seven-game losing skid.

"It wasn't all negative. The 8-2 (record) is real. That was not a mirage. It wasn't," Ballard said. "We were humming, and we were playing good football."

The Giants selected Jones with the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Duke.

For his career, Jones has completed 64.7% of his passes for 17,683 yards, 89 touchdowns and 55 interceptions in 83 regular-season games (82 starts) for the Giants and Colts. He has a 32-49-1 record as a starter. Jones also has rushed 444 times for 2,343 yards and 20 TDs.

"I think (a return is) mutual on both sides," Ballard said. "I think Daniel was a really good fit for this organization, and I think this organization and city were a really good fit for Daniel."

Richardson had been labeled the franchise quarterback when Indianapolis drafted him fourth overall in 2023 out of Florida.

Richardson is 8-7 as a starter in parts of three seasons, completing 50.6% of his passes for 2,400 yards, 11 TDs and 13 picks in 17 games (15 starts). He also has rushed for 634 yards and 10 TDs on 115 carries.

After losing the starting job to Jones, Richardson went on injured reserve following an accident during pregame warmups in Week 6 that left him with an orbital bone injury.

"I was really happy with Anthony," Ballard said. "I think you knew that even after we named Daniel Jones the starter. Unfortunately for Anthony, he's had some really bad luck. ... Anthony was making really good strides."

The Colts picked Leonard in the sixth round of the 2025 draft out of Notre Dame.

Leonard, 23, appeared in five games -- starting the regular-season finale, a 38-30 loss at Houston -- and completed 39 of 67 passes for 415 yards, two TDs and three picks.

--Field Level Media