Colts place transition tag on QB Daniel Jones after sides fail to reach long-term deal

Though the two sides have yet to agree to a long-term deal, Daniel Jones will be returning to the Indianapolis Colts next season.

The Colts placed the transition tag on the veteran quarterback on Tuesday, the team announced. That will allow Jones to play next season on a one-year, $37.833 million deal with the team should they not reach a new contract first. The Colts will also have the right to match any offer sheet Jones receives from another team in the league. Negotiations between the two sides will continue.

Although Jones ended his season 8-5 as the Colts' starting quarterback after a stunning 7-1 start, it was one of the best of his career. Jones set new career highs for completion percentage (68%), passing yards per game (238.5), passer rating (100.2) and QBR (63). He passed for 3,101 yards, which is the second most of Jones’ career, 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.

His season came to an end in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14 when he went down with a torn Achilles. 

Jones started his career with the New York Giants, who selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, coming out of Duke. He started 69 games for the franchise, posting a 24-44-1 record before his run with the organization came to an end.

In the second year of a four-year, $160 million contract extension with New York, Jones was benched and demoted to third-string in favor of Tommy DeVito. He subsequently requested a release, which the Giants granted, and he signed with the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad for the remainder of the season. Jones then signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the Colts.

Jones turns 29 in May, which means he could be the long-term answer in Indianapolis assuming his recovery from the Achilles injury goes well and he can bounce back to the level he showed early last fall. The transition tag will allow him to explore the market, however, in case he could be a long-term answer for another franchise.

But at least for now, the Colts have found a way to keep talks going.