RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Less than eight months removed from an Achilles tendon injury that used to threaten careers, Daniel Jones is ready to play football again.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday that he’s been fully cleared for training camp and that he’ll be a full participant in 11-on-11 drills once camp gets started on Wednesday.
"I'm feeling good," Jones told McAfee. "Plan is to be back in 11-on-11, full team drills Wednesday when we start up practice."
This was the plan
Jones ruptured his right Achilles tendon on Dec. 7 during a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had surgery to repair the injury and has been targeting a return to training camp since.
Jones was dropping back and throwing passes in April , less than five months removed from the injury. Head coach Shane Steichen told reporters at the time that Jones was on track to be a full participant at training camp.
"He's dropping back, he's throwing, so he's in a good spot,” Steichen said at a news conference in April. “We'll see how the OTAs go, but anticipate him being ready for training camp."
Daniel Jones says he'll be a full participant in Colts training camp this week. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS
Now Jones has confirmed that he’ll be back in what adds up to another remarkably quick turnaround for an athlete from a devastating injury.
Jones had same surgeon as Jayson Tatum
Jones’ surgeon, Dr. Martin J. O'Malley, is the same surgeon who operated on Jayson Tatum after the Boston Celtics All-Star ruptured his Achilles tendon during the 2025 NBA playoffs. The injury was initially expected to sideline Tatum for the entire 2025-26 season, but he returned to play and play well for the final 16 games of Boston’s regular season and during their run to the second round of the playoffs.
O'Malley specializes in a minimally invasive procedure that projects to reduce the risk of complications and recovery time from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Tatum’s return less than a year removed from his injury signaled a breakthrough in recovery from an Achilles tear.
Jones is seeking to replicate Tatum’s success on the football field. The real test will be his first live action on Sept. 13 if he suits up against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. The ideal for Jones is not just a return, but a return reasonably approximate to the form he displayed prior to his injury.
Will Jones deliver on his contract?
The Colts felt confident enough in his recovery to sign Jones to two-year, $88 million contract extension with $50 million guaranteed and incentives that could raise the value to $100 million. Given Jones’ shaky track record as a starting NFL quarterback, the contract was risky for the Colts independent of his injury.
For that contract to pay off for the Colts, Jones will need to do more than return healthy. He’ll need prove that his early-season success in 2025 that belied his six previous seasons of NFL football wasn’t a fluky product of a small sample size.
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