Daniel Jones' Achilles injury hurts contract negotiations; Insider gives Anthony Richardson update
Daniel Jones, who was already playing with a lower leg injury, hurt his right Achilles tendon against the Jacksonville Jaguars
Daniel Jones injury update: The Indianapolis Colts are worried. Quarterback Daniel Jones, who was already playing with a lower leg injury, hurt his right Achilles tendon against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. He was ruled out of the game and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 season.
Early in the game, Jones dropped to the ground and grabbed the back of his right leg. He slammed his helmet on the ground, visibly in pain. The star QB was taken off the field. Riley Leonard replaced him.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, meanwhile, brought in an interesting angle - Jones' contract. “If the MRI confirms a torn Achilles, Daniel Jones will face a 9-month recovery that puts him right up against the start of 2026 season. Jones is a pending free agent, though Indy wants him back,” he posted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
The 28-year-old is currently on a 1-year, $14 million deal with the Colts for the 2025 season, a significant shift from his large 4-year, $160 million contract with the Giants (2023-2026) that was cut short due to injury. A potential Achilles tear would likely impact his contract negotiations.
Jones has been playing with a broken bone in his left leg. He said he couldn’t pinpoint exactly when the injury occurred or when he first noticed something didn’t seem right. He maintained the past two weeks he feels healthy enough to play.
Jones’ performance, however, has declined over the past month. As defenses put increasingly more pressure on Jones, he has looked less mobile, at times, and has been less accurate completing throws than he was in Indy’s first eight games.
Anthony Richardson update
The Colts have a total of three QBs on their official depth chart - Daniel Jones (injured), Anthony Richardson (injured), and Riley Leonard. Brett Rypien is on the practice squad.
As Jones was injured, first updates on Richardson came in. The fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and former franchise quarterback is currently on injured reserve after suffering a broken orbital during pre-game stretches in Week 6.
He is not expected to be back anytime soon.
(With AP inputs)
