NFL execs evaluate Colts' decision to re-sign Daniel Jones

With the dust having settled on the NFL's free agency period, a few NFL execs shared their thoughts on how things played out for the Indianapolis Colts with The Athletic's Mike Sando. Of course, much of the dialogue centered around Daniel Jones and the two-year, $88 million deal he received. And as expected, opinions were mixed.

“I think they did the right thing with him,” one exec told Sando. “They couldn’t afford not to have him. ” Even with Jones recovering from an Achilles injury, the catalyst behind the decision to re-sign him is that, internally, the Colts believe that the success Jones had through the first half of 2025 can be replicated in 2026.

As simple as the point made by the exec above may seem, that is really what this all comes down to. Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen have to win this season, so letting Jones walk or attempting to have someone else fill his shoes and undergoing more change were likely never in the cards to begin with. That said, the real issue, added the exec, isn't so much the Jones deal, but is more so the fact that the Colts found themselves in a situation where they have to bet on Jones coming off a major injury to lead them to the playoffs.

“Let’s face it, their troubles all started by drafting Anthony Richardson,” the exec added. “Here they are. ” Sando noted that another exec mentioned that the Colts' use of the transition tag on Jones wasn't ideal.