RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Colts 'most likely' outcome with Daniel Jones in 2026 would be very depressing originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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The Indianapolis Colts re-signed Daniel Jones to be their starting quarterback for the 2026 NFL season and are hoping to continue his magical start to the 2025 NFL season.
But after a brutal season-ending injury last year and Jones' history as a mid-tier quarterback, there is plenty of uncertainty about the Colts and their QB situation heading into the 2026 season.
ESPN's Dan Graziano predicted the "most likely" outcome for the Colts with Jones this year, and it's an incredibly depressing one that he hates to say.
Daniel Jones predicted 'most likely' outcome for Colts would be depressing
"Most likely outcome: I hate to say a thing like this, and we all hope it doesn't happen, but Jones' history tells us the most likely outcome is that he misses time again," Graziano writes.
Jones in his NFL career has been banged up often and is coming back from a serious injury he suffered last season heading into this year.
Since 2019, the year he was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants , Jones has played in 83 games, starting 82 of them. He played in 16 games (or more) just once, during the Giants' 2022 season. He played a 17th game in the playoffs that year as well.
Every other season of his NFL career was less than 16 games, with his 13-game 2025 season the most he's played in the last three years.
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He was incredible last season, throwing for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, a 68.0% completion rate, an NFL-best 52.0% success rate, and a career-high 100.2 passer rating.
If he could return to that form, then the Colts could be a legitimate Super Bowl sleeper this upcoming season. But Graziano believes the "most likely" outcome is that Jones will miss more time this upcoming season.
"So, the most likely outcome is that Jones is in and out of the lineup throughout the season, and the Colts have to decide next offseason whether to bring him back or move on," Graziano writes.
This would be an incredibly depressing season result for Jones and the Colts, as the hope sparked from the first-half of the 2025 season would be over if such a 2026 season were to occur.
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Why Vikings have only a 30% chance to trade J.J. McCarthy after QB1 decision
Cowboys projected to have 90% chance of trading Marist Liufau
Texans linked to Rashod Bateman and Kayshon Boutte amid trade talks for WR help
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