The Indianapolis Colts have been more than happy with their reclamation project and quarterback Daniel Jones.
All signs pointed to an extension at some point in the near future that locks Jones in beyond just his current one-year deal.
But while that’s still likely going to be the case, there’s a good chance the Colts need a placeholder for 2026 — or at least have one waiting in the wings — following Jones’ reported torn Achilles suffered in Week 14.
Could that other option be Arizona Cardinals signal caller Kyler Murray? It’s an interesting thought, especially after Indianapolis found recent success in another team’s castaway quarterback and the continued thinking that Murray has played his final down for the Cardinals.
Even a timeline of nine months — which seems optimistic at best given the power Jones needs to generate off the right leg — would put a potential return right at the start of the season. At the very least, the Colts are going to need to address the backup spot with someone not named Riley Leonard.
Posting an 8-2 mark before Jones’ fractured left fibula and most recently the Achilles injury, the Colts looked like one of the teams to beat come playoff time. Jones has been an integral part in the recent success, currently sitting sixth in the league in passing yards (3,014), tied for seventh in touchdowns (19) and eighth in completion percentage (67.9%).
But with Jones sidelined for the foreseeable future, those feelings are officially dashed for 2025. In 2026, though, Indianapolis should be another team in the thick of a playoff race given the fact there shouldn’t be much roster turnover.
According to OverTheCap, the Colts are currently projected to see just five players who have accounted for at least 70% of the available snaps hit free agency this season.
Continuity is a key ingredient toward NFL success. That is if you have a quarterback capable of shouldering the load.
It’s not like the Colts are in the running for a rookie quarterback anytime soon, either.
Even if Indianapolis drops the rest of their games this season, it’ll be in the running for a middle-of-the-pack first-round pick at best. The only problem? The New York Jets — another QB-needy team — hold the Colts’ pick following the Sauce Gardner trade at this year’s deadline.
Want to take a step further and look at 2027? The Jets own that first-round pick, too.
Unless Colts general manager Chris Ballard gets on the phone and does some serious wheeling and dealing, Indianapolis is likely living that veteran quarterback life for the next couple of seasons.
That’s where Murray could come in.
Joe Flacco, who started six games for the Colts in 2024, Carson Wentz, Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota and Trey Lance make up some of the more notable names in an otherwise shallow free agency pool of signal callers as of Week 14.
Mac Jones, who is likely going to garner some interest this offseason for his play in place of the injured Brock Purdy, is another possibility.
It’s not like Colts head coach Shane Steichen won’t have some legit intel on Murray, either, thanks to his relationship with Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.
As to whether that hurts or helps any potential Murray-Colts pairing is up for debate.
