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The 2-6 Indianapolis Colts have decided the season is done for, which means the November 10 trade deadline will serve as an opportunity to gather some much-needed assets and start a rebuild.
Last week, they traded Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for draft picks. Those moves signaled the start of said rebuild, and you can bet more trades are on the mend as we get closer to the trade deadline.
However, one player whose name hasn’t come up yet in speculation is Daniel Jones.
Jones hasn’t quite lived up to his billing this season, in what could very well be his final season as a Colt. So far, though, there have been no reports claiming Indy will move Jones, who was benched last week after the Colts went down 42-7.
Even if Jones stays with the Colts for the rest of the season, his time with the team appears to be running out.
Mike Florio and Chris Simms discussed the situation on Pro Football Talk, and they both agreed changes are afoot for Jones in Indy.
Florio said, “It’s just gotta be driving him nuts to be in this situation where management is tearing it all down. If you look at his contract, the way it’s structured, they have an escape hatch; he’s not gonna be there next year.”
The argument holds weight, considering it’s likely Jones would have little interest in sticking around on a rebuilding team, especially when teams around the league could use QB help. For instance, the Baltimore Ravens are on their third-string quarterback this week, and you would think Jones could serve as an upgrade there.
Injuries are starting to pile up across the league, and the looming trade deadline always spurs action, which means we could very well see a QB-needy team enquire about Jones. That said, his body of work this season doesn’t quite warrant a hefty trade return.
Jones has thrown for 1,542 yards and five touchdowns with nine interceptions across eight games. His PFN QB Impact Grade stands at 64.8, which ranks 32nd of 35 possible quarterbacks.
His time as a starter might be coming to a close, but it will be interesting to see what his market looks like if the Colts decide to shop him around.