Colts' Daniel Jones reveals bold goal regarding injury recovery

Shortly after it was learned on Wednesday that the Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Daniel Jones had agreed to a two-year, $88M deal that could be worth up to $100M, a report revealed that Jones is expected to be ready for the start of the 2026 season coming off the torn Achilles he suffered on Dec. 7, 2025. 

Later on Wednesday, Jones appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" and discussed his ongoing recovery.

Daniel Jones has this goal in mind for return to action

"My goal is to be back by Week 1 and be ready to go," Jones confirmed, per Mike Chappell of Fox 59. "That’s what we’ve been working towards and should be able to accomplish. We’ll keep checking the boxes. I’m planning on being back, and the goal is shooting for Week 1." 

A January report shared that veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has experience returning from a torn Achilles, had "offered Jones advice on attacking his rehab during phone conversations." On Wednesday, Jones said that he has had "helpful" chats with Rodgers, fellow quarterback Kirk Cousins and Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers about recovering from such a setback. 

Daniel Jones discusses returning to Colts

The Colts looked like legitimate championship contenders after Jones went 8-2 as Indianapolis' starter this past season. However, he then began dealing with a reported fibula injury in Week 12, and the Colts later never fully recovered after Jones went down for the remainder of the campaign in early December. 

Indianapolis using the transition tag to retain Jones' rights gave him an opportunity to learn what type of deals he could have received from other clubs. It sounds like he never came all that close to leaving the Colts this offseason. 

"I wanted to be back, and I’m glad we got it figured out," Jones told McAfee, per Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star. "The transition tag, that whole process was interesting, but I always wanted to be here, and had faith it would work out. Definitely appreciative, grateful and fired up to be here. We’ve got a special thing going. (I love) working with this coaching staff and the guys in the locker room, and I’m fired up to get [wide receiver Alec Pierce] back. Looking forward to it."

Jones can now fully focus on getting as healthy as possible for September.