Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon spoke out Sunday, defending the organization’s decision to re-sign quarterback Daniel Jones this offseason after he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 14 of the 2025 campaign.
Speaking to Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith), Irsay-Gordon pointed toward Jones’ relationship with head coach Shane Steichen as a major factor in signing Jones to a two-year, $88 million contract.
“That chemistry that a quarterback needs to have with their head coach,” Irsay-Gordon said. “I don’t want to name any names, but there are situations where your head coach doesn’t believe in your quarterback, I mean, you’re kind of screwed. I think Shane and Daniel really align.”
Irsay-Gordon noted that the Colts players also wanted Jones to return, adding, “The rest of the team wanted Daniel back, too. I think that’s really important to listen to what the team is saying, too, because they know everything. People can laugh, but the players know, and I think their input is important. … Daniel, he’s an amazing teammate.”
She also expressed her belief that Jones will want to prove he is worthy of the new deal he signed, saying, “I don’t think it’s given me pause, since we just signed him for a pretty good chunk of change. Daniel, the fact that he has that work ethic, that mindset, and what I love about him, too, is we’ve got this platform where he can go out there and prove what he wants to prove. It’s good to have guys that have a chip on their shoulder in a good way.”
Jones, 28, spent his first six seasons with the New York Giants after they selected him sixth overall in the 2019 NFL draft, but they released him during the 2024 campaign after he went 2-8 in 10 starts with eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
He finished 2024 as a backup with the Minnesota Vikings, and then signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts, as they brought him in to compete with Anthony Richardson for the starting job.
Jones won the starting job and got off to a hot start, leading the Colts to an 8-2 start and putting himself in the NFL MVP conversation.
However, the Colts lost each of the next three games to fall to 8-5, and they continued to tumble once Jones was lost for the season, losing each of their final four games without him to finish a disappointing 8-9.
While 2025 ended on a sour note, Jones’ overall performance was still much better than anyone could have anticipated.
In addition to posting an 8-5 record, Danny Dimes completed 68.0 percent of his passes for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 164 yards and five scores.
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Given those numbers, it is likely fair to say that there was no better quarterback option available to the Colts this offseason, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t major question marks surrounding Jones coming off a significant injury.
The Colts mitigated the risk to some degree by only signing him to a two-year deal, but they did pay a hefty price, as Jones is 15th among quarterbacks in terms of average annual value at $44 million per year, according to Spotrac.
That number places him ahead of reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams and reigning Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks.
Jones did seem to have a nice rapport with Steichen and his offensive weapons when healthy last season, though, perhaps making him the best candidate to get the Colts back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.