Colts Must Act Quick with Daniel Jones, or Two NFC Teams May Be in Mix

Two NFC teams stand out as possible suitors to take Daniel Jones away from the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) passes the ball Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the top decisions for the Indianapolis Colts is whether to re-sign quarterback Daniel Jones after a promising 2025 campaign, which ended with a season-ending Achilles injury.

While it's nearly a lock that Indianapolis will keep Jones under center, other teams that need a quarterback will undoubtedly be in the mix to snag Jones.

Per CBS Sports' Zachary Pereles, two teams stand out as potential fits for Jones: the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings.

"The Colts are all the way in on Jones, especially after they traded away two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline. He's coming off a torn Achilles, but expect Indianapolis to figure something out. Other suitors: Cardinals, Vikings."

Linking Jones to the Minnesota Vikings makes great sense, especially considering that he was briefly on the roster after the New York Giants parted ways with Jones during the 2024 season.

Dec 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) looks over the Jacksonville Jaguars defense pre-snap during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Head coach Kevin O'Connell knows Jones and is an excellent QB-centric coach. Also, given the current situation with Minnesota's 10th-overall pick, J.J. McCarthey, it's likely they're moving on after he put up a disastrous rookie season.

As for the Cardinals, the future with Kyler Murray is very uncertain. Despite Murray's 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year award and two Pro Bowls, the squad seems to not be completely invested in him.

Murray's contract goes through the 2028 season. If the Cards were to part ways with Murray, it would cost them dearly this year.

However, getting rid of Murray in 2027 would save the team a massive amount of cap space, totaling $36,335,000, per Over the Cap.

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Perhaps the Cardinals see Jones as a potential starter in the future and can't pass him up as a possible option.

That's a situation that is complex and has multiple layers to the equation, but the Vikings seem like the far more realistic suitor.

[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Nov 9, 2025; Berlin, GERMANY; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) pitches the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the Berlin Game at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lisi Niesner/Reuters via Imagn Images | Lisi Niesner/Reuters via Imagn Images

Jones' future likely lies in the Circle City, unless something crazy happens, which is always a possibility in the NFL.

Jones played the best football of his seven years as a professional. After six mediocre seasons and one playoff appearance (and win) with the Giants, Jones flourished under Shane Steichen.

Jones concluded his 2025 season with the following numbers.

• 261/384 completions
• 68.0 completion percentage
• 3,101 passing yards
• 19 touchdown passes - 8 interceptions
• 164 rushing yards
• 5 touchdown rushes

The only drawback right now to bringing Jones back is his lengthy injury history, compounded by the fractured fibula and Achilles tear in 2025.

However, Indy doesn't really have a choice.

As Pereles mentions, Indianapolis essentially put all its faith in Jones after trading its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks for cornerback Sauce Gardner.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) yells at the line of scrimmage Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Also, seeing how Anthony Richardson Sr. looks like anything but a franchise solution at QB, Jones is really the last option to hopefully get an answer at field general for Indianapolis.

At the end of the day, while the Vikings and Cardinals are options to snag Jones out of free agency, all signs point to Chris Ballard giving Jones the keys to the offense to continue working with Steichen after an impressive debut in a Colts uniform.