{"id":744242,"date":"2026-02-11T06:26:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T06:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/744242\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T06:26:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T06:26:33","slug":"joe-flacco-marcus-mariota-named-good-fits-with-daniel-jones-caveat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/744242\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Flacco, Marcus Mariota named good fits, with Daniel Jones caveat"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Indianapolis Colts<\/a> are entering the 2026 offseason with a clear objective to retain quarterback Daniel Jones<\/a> despite a devastating Achilles injury that cut his 2025 MVP-caliber campaign short. According to Tom Pelissero, the organization intends to initiate discussions on a multi-year extension, though the franchise tag remains a viable secondary option to ensure he stays in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

Jones, who led the team to a dominant 8-2 start before his health declined, is reportedly eager to remain with the franchise.<\/p>\n

With approximately $35.6 million in current cap space and significantly more projected for 2027, the Colts possess the financial flexibility to secure Jones long-term, even as they face a lack of first-round draft picks due to the high-profile trade for Sauce Gardner.<\/p>\n

However, the recovery timeline for a torn Achilles presents a significant hurdle for the upcoming season’s start.<\/p>\n

According to a report from ESPN, assuming the Colts sign Daniel Jones, they could still be in the market for a veteran option<\/a> to start over Riley Leonard while Jones gradually returns to full health.<\/p>\n

The report suggests that the team would be a strong fit for experienced signal-callers like Marcus Mariota<\/a> or Joe Flacco<\/a> to serve as a reliable bridge.<\/p>\n

If a deal with Jones is not reached, the Colts would find themselves with the most substantial quarterback need in the league, though insiders believe both parties are committed to a partnership.<\/p>\n

To further bolster their financial standing for these moves, the Colts are evaluating several cut candidates.<\/p>\n

While the team collapsed from a 7-1 start to miss the 2025 playoffs, general manager Chris Ballard must now make difficult decisions regarding veterans to create depth.<\/p>\n

Key players under the microscope include wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.<\/a>, whose future depends on his willingness to sign a long-term deal, and Ashton Dulin, whose release could facilitate a necessary receiving corps revamp.<\/p>\n

Additionally, despite a monster 173-tackle season in 2024, linebacker Zaire Franklin is mentioned as a potential cap casualty as the front office prioritizes retaining foundational stars like Jonathan Taylor and Quenton Nelson.<\/p>\n

Could the next season be a better one for the Colts?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Indianapolis Colts are entering the 2026 offseason with a clear objective to retain quarterback Daniel Jones despite…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":744243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2059],"tags":[2005,2772,7,2004,392,2381,562,11695,6,30382,832],"class_list":{"0":"post-744242","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-indianapolis-colts","8":"tag-colts","9":"tag-daniel-jones","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-indianapolis","12":"tag-indianapolis-colts","13":"tag-indianapoliscolts","14":"tag-joe-flacco","15":"tag-marcus-mariota","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-nfl-injury","18":"tag-nfl-rumors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116050577711159662","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=744242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/744243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=744242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=744242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=744242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}