At a time when the Colts are undoubtedly considering an exit strategy from the balance of the Daniel Jones contract, Jones has a clear incentive to be traded to a playoff contender.
The incentive comes directly from his incentive package.
Jones’s two-year, $88 million deal has plenty of sweeteners for 2026. And most of them are tied to making it to the playoffs, and winning games once he gets there.
He’s on track to earn up to $550,000 by racking up 90 percent offensive playing time for the season. Through eight games, he has taken 98 percent of the snaps. (Specifically, the term gives him $100,000 for 50 percent, $200,000 for 60 percent, $300,000 for 70 percent, $400,000 for 80 percent, or $550,000 for 90 percent.)
Jones also gets an extra $100,000 for each win in which he plays more than 50 percent of the snaps. To date, he has added $200,000 of a potential $800,000.
If his team wins 10 or more games and he participates in 75 percent of the offensive snaps, Jones gets another $250,000. With 75-percent playing time and a playoff berth, he gets another $250,000. With 75-percent playing time and a division title, he gets another $250,000.
Then comes the package for postseason success, with up to $2.5 million available. With 50-percent playing time and a win in the wild-card round, he gets $500,000. With 50-percent and a win in the divisional round, he gets another $500,000. With 50-percent playing time and a win in the conference championship, he gets another $500,000. With 50-percent playing time and a win in the Super Bowl, he gets another $1 million.
So, yes, Jones has plenty of reasons to want to be moved from a non-contender to a contender.
And the Colts have plenty of reasons to want to get him off the roster. He has a $10.51 million injury guarantee for 2027. At some point, the Colts could be tempted to put him in bubble wrap, like the Giants did to him in 2024.
At that point, Jones would surely repeat his request from two years ago to be released. Because, however, the trade deadline will have passed, he’d be subject to waivers.
The best outcome for the Colts (who can walk away from the Jones contract before the guarantees vest in March 2027) would be to get value for Jones now. The best outcome for Jones would be to land on a team with which he’s better situated to unlock several million in incentives.
And the best destination — barring a serious injury to a contender’s starting quarterback on Sunday — continues to be the Vikings.