If the Indianapolis Colts end up tearing things down after this season, Daniel Jones may not be part of the next chapter.
The Colts sit at 2-3, though they should be 3-3 after their Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans. A playoff push is still alive, but if Indianapolis misses the postseason, sweeping changes could follow. That would put both general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen in the crosshairs - and if they’re out, Jones could be out too.
Jones is under contract through 2027, but his future in Indianapolis starts to look much shakier if he keeps underwhelming. Releasing him would free up $38 million, which would give the Colts room to add a veteran stopgap while they reset at quarterback for the long term.
The catch is that Indianapolis does not currently own a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. For this kind of reset to work, the team would need to trade back into Round 1.
A new general manager might view that as a necessity, because rebuilding the roster would require premium draft capital. However Indy gets there, whether through a deal involving Sauce Gardner or Jonathan Taylor somehow, the goal would be the same: land a quarterback who can change the trajectory of the franchise.
And if the Colts do move back into the first round, they wouldn’t necessarily need to chase one of the top picks. There are options later who could make Jones expendable.
CJ Carr from Notre Dame is one of the cleanest fits. At 6'2" and 215 pounds, he looks like one of the more NFL-ready quarterbacks in the class.
His arm isn’t the strongest, but he can make throws to every level and can throw receivers open. He protects the ball, doesn’t force the issue, and plays with enough mobility to throw on the move.
He may not be Josh Allen, but the profile points to a player who could grow into a high-end starter for a long time and lead a good roster into contention.
Dante Moore of Oregon brings a different kind of upside. He checks in at 6'3" and 220 pounds, slightly bigger than Carr, and he has already shown he can do a lot.
Moore has excellent arm strength and the ability to run, along with game experience in one of the two best conferences in college football. That should help him adjust faster once he reaches the league.
His concussion in Oregon’s fourth game has kept him out for a couple of games, which is concerning in the short term, but it is not expected to change how NFL teams view him. He could land in the middle of the first round or beyond, right where Indianapolis might be able to climb.
Austin Simmons of Missouri would be a different type of move, especially if the Colts decide to pair a veteran bridge quarterback with a young successor. Simmons is 6'4" and 220 pounds, but he does not have a huge college resume yet, which means Indy would want to avoid rushing him the way it did with Anthony Richardson.
The talent is obvious, though. He has elite velocity, good touch, solid speed, and the sense that something explosive is always about to happen.
The one wrinkle is that he’s left-handed, which could force the Colts to make some changes up front.
In Other News...
Colts Offense Suddenly Has A Josh Downs Problem Teams Can Exploit
Josh Downs has been one of Daniel Jones most reliable third-down answers, but the attention around him has changed the way defenses are playing Indianapolis. With Alec Pierce out, the Colts have seen more bodies tilted toward Downs, and Shane Steichen has acknowledged that the coverage has forced the offense to adjust on the fly. What had been a quick, dependable outlet has become a spot where defenses are determined to make Jones hold the ball and look elsewhere.
For the Colts, the challenge now is finding ways to free Downs without asking him to win every contested snap by himself. Indianapolis has been working through ways to create more room for him and keep the offense from getting predictable when the money downs arrive. Until that happens, opponents have a clear blueprint for squeezing one of the Colts most trusted targets and making the passing game work harder than it should. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Fans Have Every Right To Question This Lou Anarumo Pattern
The Colts recent roster moves have brought a familiar theme into view around defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo: players who already know his system keep showing up in Indianapolis. Germaine Pratt is among the latest examples, and head coach Shane Steichen has acknowledged that familiarity with Anarumos players matters when the team is looking at additions.
Still, it is fair to wonder whether comfort is becoming a crutch. Anarumos track record as a coordinator has not produced many elite defenses, with only one season in nine finishing in the top half of the league in either points or yards allowed. For a Colts team trying to build something sturdier on that side of the ball, the repeated return to old faces invites questions about whether familiarity alone is enough. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Face A Risky QB Decision As Daniel Jones Loses Support
Daniel Jones second season in Indianapolis has already turned into a referendum on the Colts quarterback plan, and the conversation around it keeps circling back to the same issue: the offense around him is not the one the team hoped it would have. The wide receiver room has been stripped down by injuries and a trade, leaving Jones working with a less imposing supporting cast than the Colts envisioned when they made him their starter.
Still, the instinct to pivot to Anthony Richardson is not as simple as it sounds. ESPNs Ben Solak floated the idea of benching Jones for Richardson, but the case for doing so runs into the same problem the Colts have been dealing with all along - swapping quarterbacks does not automatically fix an offense that is already short on answers. [Read more 🡒]