The Indianapolis Colts likely had optimism when they signed Daniel Jones this offseason.
But would they have ever expected this?
Jones is leading the NFL's best offense. The former New York Giants bust is now one of the league's trending quarterbacks.
With that comes a reality: Jones is going to get paid. It's going to be a big raise.
The Colts signed him to just a one-year deal. That limited their commitment, and it also gave Jones a chance to prove himself and secure a hefty contract. That's what Jones has done.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler expects the next deal to get into nine figures.
"Jones has a chance to become the biggest earner in the free agency class," Fowler wrote on Wednesday. "The Colts appear all-in on keeping Jones long term, and they have comps for former top-10 picks who thrived when quarterbacking a new team -- Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, who each earned three-year deals worth around $100 million. Jones would totally be justified asking for that... With interest."
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Quarterback reclamation projects certainly appear to be the narrative of the moment in the NFL.
Mayfield and Darnold have been great. Geno Smith had a good run after appearing lost for a while, too.
Jones' performance in Indy has been so good that people are wondering whether the guy he replaced, Anthony Richardson, just needs a new address to unlock his potential.
The Colts won't be as concerned about Richardson at this point, though. They traded two first-round picks to get Sauce Gardner because they believe in their present, a present led by Jones at QB, and he's going to get paid accordingly.
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