Colts' historic $88 million QB signing named worst of offseason

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The Indianapolis Colts were tasked with making a pivotal quarterback decision at the start of the offseason.

The franchise’s No. 1 signal-caller, Daniel Jones, was enjoying a respectable 2025-26 campaign before suffering a brutal Achilles injury in early December. Jones inked a one-year deal with the Colts last March, meaning his future beyond this past season was uncertain.

Surprisingly, the Colts elected to sign the former first-round pick to a historic two-year, $88 million contract, a move that Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport named as the worst signing of the 2026 offseason.

“To be fair, the Indianapolis Colts were kind of backed into a corner where quarterback Daniel Jones was concerned,” Davenport wrote Monday. “Over 13 starts last year, Jones played the best football of his seven-year career. He set career highs in completion percentage (68.0), passing yards per game, and posted a passer rating of over 100 for the first time in his career.”

“But then he tore his Achilles tendon, and the Colts' season unraveled. The Colts originally slapped the transition tag on Jones before agreeing to terms on a two-year, $88 million pact, including $60 million in guarantees. It's the biggest two-year contract ever awarded in the NFL.”

“Maybe Jones will be ready for Week 1 despite the severity of the injury. Maybe he can repeat last year's success despite his struggles in New York (Giants). Maybe he's the next Sam Darnold. Or maybe the Colts should have let Jones play out the 2026 season on the transition tag while they saw how all those ‘maybes’ played out.’

The Colts’ massive contract decision regarding Jones could easily backfire in the foreseeable future. The ex-Giants quarterback’s ball security was much better in 2025-26 (he only lost three fumbles) and didn’t get happy feet in the pocket/put the ball in harm's way as often as the public is accustomed to (only eight interceptions).

That said, Jones is dealing with a significantly lower-body injury, and there’s no telling if he’ll replicate the moderate success he achieved in Year 7. In other words, Indianapolis is taking a major gamble on Jones, proving they firmly believe the 28-year-old has a bright future with the AFC franchise.

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