1. What is the legacy of Daniel Jones’ 2025 season?

To me, what Daniel Jones did in 2025 should be defined by two things. The first is the remarkable efficiency with which he operated the Colts’ offense prior to the bye week, which pushed the Colts to an 8-2 record with an offense widely regarded as the best in the NFL.

The second is the remarkable toughness Jones displayed to play through a fibula injury against the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Jones never used the injury as an excuse, and he had more than a handful of moments even while playing with it – like some tough-as-nails throws in the face of pressure in Week 13 against the Texans.

Cruelly, it looked like Jones was moving a lot better on Sunday. On a play-action rollout to his right, Jones wound up scrambling across the field for a four-yard gain on a first-and-10 in the Jaguars’ red zone; earlier in the first quarter, the Colts got him on a play-action half-roll to throw to a wide open Michael Pittman Jr.

And from the pocket, Jones was ripping throws with timing and accuracy through the Jaguars’ tight zone coverage.

But when Jones was heated up with a blitz on a third-and-eight, he planted his right foot to slide away from pressure. I’m not here to speculate on exactly when Jones’ injury happened in that dropback, but he still re-set his feet and completed a pass to Alec Pierce.

The play was called back due to a chop block penalty on Jonathan Taylor. But Jones’ final on-field act as the Colts’ 2025 starting quarterback was, somehow, completing a pass amid sustaining a season-ending torn Achilles’.

Then, for the second half of Sunday’s game, Jones was on the sidelines – wearing a boot – helping Leonard out with whatever he needed.

“That’s just him being a great teammate,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “He has a huge injury, and some guys will sit in the locker room. He wanted to be out there with his guys and show support for Riley and the rest of the guys.”

There’s one other thing here, which is a product of the first two parts of Jones’ 2025 season. He completely earned the respect and trust of every single player in the Colts’ locker room and every single coach on Steichen’s staff. He did so through his play, of course, but also through how he conducted himself behind the scenes.

“The guy is as top-notch as it gets,” Steichen said. “One of the best I’ve ever been around in the quarterback room. Just his mentality and the way he goes about his business, the way he works, the way he treats people. Just phenomenal.”