Extension Time For Daniel Jones

The Indianapolis Colts took a shot on Daniel Jones when they signed him in March. Nobody knew what to expect from the former New York Giants quarterback. Especially after he was cut from the team last season. Jones then had a short stint with the Minnesota Vikings as a backup to end the 2024 season. After hitting the free agent market and signing with the Colts, Jones was named the starter in late August. This decision didn’t sit well with Colts fans or the national media. Now, after 11 weeks of the NFL season, opinions on the 28-year-old quarterback have changed. Indy fans and the national media are saying that it’s extension time for Daniel Jones.

From “Danny Dimes” To “Danny Dollars”

Daniel Jones is having a potential award winning season with the Indianapolis Colts. Jones is currently second in the NFL in passing yards with 2,659. He is also among the league leaders in many other categories as well. Jones hasn’t seen this type of success since his 2022 season. After that season, he signed a 4 year, $160 million dollar contract with the Giants. Fast forward to 2025, Jones is putting up even better numbers than he did that year. This has many people clamoring that it is, once again, extension time for Daniel Jones. The questions that remain are, how much and how long?

Length: 4 Years

Reports have been saying that the Colts and Jones have been in talks with a possible extension. Which makes sense considering the Colts just sent their next 2 first-round picks to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. This says that the Colts are confident that they will get a deal done with Jones in the coming months, but how long are they willing to extend him?

The average number of years of a quarterback extension, right now, is 5 years. The quarterbacks in the NFL are only getting younger. The average age of NFL quarterbacks is 28 years old. Which, coincidentally, is the age of Daniel Jones. People are wondering if this year is just a “flash in the pan” for Jones, or if this is just who he is now. With the average length of a quarterback’s contract being 5 years, it is believable that Jones’ extension will be at the 4-year mark.

The years being set at 4 is almost a perfect spot for Jones. By the end of his contract, he would only be 32 years old, which isn’t a bad age. At that point, if Jones has been successful, the Colts could be comfortable with tacking a few more years with the team. On the other side, if things don’t work out the Colts could possibly move on from the contract with minimal damage. Jones has seemed to fit perfectly in the Colts offense, so it is hard to believe that his success won’t continue and the Colts won’t extend him 4 more years.

Total: $200 Million

To the regular person, $200 million is a lot of money. Which, in reality, it is, but it’s about average for an NFL quarterback. If the money is set at $200 million, that puts Jones at making $50 million a year. This is also around the average of what quarterbacks are making in the NFL in 2025. Now, if the Colts were to offer him this amount, how would it affect them?

In 2026, the Colts have $57,729,695 in cap space. So if the Colts are to give Jones the $200 million extension, that eats up $50 million of that cap. However, there are many ways to manipulate the salary cap, and honestly, not many people really know how it works exactly. There can be contracts that can be reworked, and other finances can be moved around to create space. If the Colts are serious about extending Jones, they more than likely have a plan in place on where the money is coming from.

Money in the NFL is one of the most important things. One place a team doesn’t want to find themselves in is “Cap Hell”. The Colts ownership is in a great spot with the daughters of the late Jim Irsay at the helm. So it is believable “The Big 3” already have the wheel in motion on how their money will be spent on the team. A few other players on the Colts are due for a contract extension as well. Ultimately, if the team doesn’t have a franchise quarterback locked up, the other pieces may not matter. Jones is the leader of this offense and is proving he has what it takes to win in Indy. The consistent success is proof that it is extension time for Daniel Jones in Indianapolis.