The Indianapolis Colts closed out their once-promising season with a seven-game losing streak. It ended with a Riley Leonard pick-six in a meaningless game, with the team already eliminated from playoff contention.
Not even Philip Rivers' heroics were enough to keep the ship afloat. The Colts missed the playoffs again after losing Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury. Now, with GM Chris Ballard and HC Shane Steichen set to run it back next season, the expectation is that Jones will also be back.
Jones looked like an early-season MVP candidate, leading the team to an 8-2 start to the season. Now, with a long recovery ahead of him, he doesn't want ot make any promises.
Daniel Jones wants to be back with the Colts
When asked about his potential future with the organization, the former New York Giants first-round pick admitted that he would love to be back in Indianapolis. Then again, there's also a business side to the equation:
"I've enjoyed being here, working with the coaching staff here, the players," Jones said, per the team's official website. "I think it's a great organization and I've enjoyed being here. Obviously there's a business side to it and understand that, but I've really enjoyed being here around these people."
Given the timeline of his recovery and when he sustained the injury, there's a chance that he will be ready for training camp. The Duke product claimed that he's aiming for that:
"Obviously it's a long process in the recovery and there's a timeframe to it, you gotta check a lot of boxes along the way," Jones said. "But I expect to be ready to go by training camp. We'll attack the process and make sure I'm ready to go."
Jones finished the season with 3,101 passing yards on a 68.0 percent completion percentage. He had 24 total touchdowns (19 pass) and eight interceptions, and the Colts had an 8-5 record with him as the starter.
Rookie backup Riley Leonard looked solid in a limited sample size, and the team also has former first-round pick Anthony Richardson on the roster. Still, given the way Jones performed before getting hurt, it's hard to believe they won't go the extra mile to bring him back.