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The future is now for the Indianapolis Colts.
Indianapolis orchestrated a blockbuster ahead of the NFL trade deadline when they acquired star cornerback Sauce Gardner from the Jets on Tuesday afternoon.
The Colts paid a lofty sum for the 25-year-old, two-time All-Pro, coughing up wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and first-round draft picks for 2026 and 2027.
In parting with their next two first rounders, the Colts have effectively withdrawn from the hunt for a new franchise quarterback — emphasizing their belief that they already have one in a resurgent Daniel Jones.
“I think the consistency that he brings, his preparation, and it’s coming to life on the field on Sundays. He works at it,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said of Jones in September. “He’s been doing a hell of a job.”
Jones, 28, signed a one-year contract with the Colts ahead of the 2025-26 season, aiming to rebound from a nasty breakup with the Giants.
That decision is paying off and he in line for a huge contract extension this offseason.
While his supporting cast in New York didn’t do him any favors, Jones managed just 24 wins in 69 starts across six seasons with the Giants, hampered by injuries and failing to live up to the four-year, $160 million deal he signed in Sept. 2023.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft ultimately asked for his release last season after getting benched in favor of Tommy DeVito in Week 12.
Maybe all he needed was a change in scenery.
Nearly one year after his release, the veteran field general has connected on 69.6 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns and an NFL-best 2,404 passing yards — leading the Colts atop the AFC with an exceptional 7-2 record.
The difference is night and day, but even his former Giants’ teammates could see it coming.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” said wide receiver Darius Slayton, ahead of the team’s Week 9 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I know when you do anything in life, whether it’s school, a job [or] a sport, people that work a certain way, prepare a certain way [and] behave a certain way, they’re bound to succeed,” he added. “They might not succeed at one moment or you might not see it at a particular time, but a certain level of effort and approach is eventually gonna work. And that’s him.”
The Colts approached the deadline on the heels of Jones’ worst start of the year, in which he hurled a season-high three interceptions — compared to just one touchdown — in a 27-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 2.
Still, the Colts rode into Tuesday focused on their three-game winning streak to start the season, their four-straight victories heading into Pittsburgh, and most importantly, their future.
Indianapolis is confident in the tools it has to compete for a championship. That vision includes Jones in a Colts uniform for years to come.
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