A month ago, when the Indianapolis Colts named Daniel Jones their starting quarterback, a large portion of the team’s fan base was apoplectic.

How, some wondered, could you push aside 23-year-old Anthony Richardson — whose ceiling remained immense, even with his past failures — and settle on a 28-year-old ex-New York Giants washout who brought two undeniable realities to the table: He was experienced, with 69 starts under his belt … but also demonstrably limited, based on what those 69 starts actually produced over the first six years of his NFL career.

So when the decision to roll with Jones was made, a large portion of the fan response was that Colts head coach Shane Steichen was just trying to save his job, or he was seeing something more in Jones that many were not.

Two games into the 2025 season, it might have been both.

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While it’s just a two-game sample size, the former sixth overall pick from the 2019 draft has quickly showcased why the Giants once chose Jones over Saquon Barkley as the future of their franchise. Not to mention why former New York general manager Dave Gettleman once believed he had the stuff to be a franchise quarterback. But even the most hopeful Jones believers at any point in his career wouldn’t have suggested he'd help an offense to the start that Indianapolis is experiencing. The Colts are the first team in NFL history to start a season by scoring on 10 straight possessions, and the first team in the Super Bowl era to open a season without punting a single time through two games.

While such perfection can’t possibly last, it certainly is the first spark in what could become a season-long conversation, dreamcasting about whether Jones might be settling into his perfect spot. By now, it’s a familiar debate about career reclamation at the quarterback position, mirroring what we’ve seen over the previous three seasons: Geno Smith getting on track with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, Baker Mayfield anchoring himself as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, and Sam Darnold jumpstarting his resurrection with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024.

All three found the right situation to remake themselves as NFL starters. And interestingly, all three are now slotted beside each other in their current average salaries, Mayfield at $33.3 million per season, Darnold at $33.5 and Smith at $37.5. Could Jones be the next in line? If his start (111.1 passer rating, five total touchdowns between passing and rushing, 71.4 percent completion rate and two wins) is even remotely close to where he’s headed this year, it won’t be a question.

Of course, what a Jones deal could ultimately look like will depend on how the remainder of the season plays out. But Darnold’s three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks — including $55 million in guaranteed money — is now the baseline for above-average quarterbacks who are in the market to sign for a limited commitment. As it stands, Jones bet on himself with a one-year, $14 million deal, setting himself up to chase a path similar to the one Mayfield took in 2023.

In that season, Mayfield signed a one-year “prove it” contract with the Buccaneers that offered him the chance to earn “up to” $8.5 million if he were to beat out Kyle Trask for the team’s starting job. Mayfield ultimately won that job and made $6.85 million. But more importantly, he convinced the Buccaneers to come to the table with a three-year. $100 million extension — cementing himself as Tampa Bay’s starter and setting himself up for another lucrative round of contract talks next offseason, before he enters the final year of his deal in 2026.

Again, it’s too early to know if that’s the path Jones will remain on, but his start is mirroring Mayfield’s in 2023. Like Mayfield, Jones chose the Colts because he saw a path to the starting job through a competition with a younger, struggling player. Like Mayfield, Jones won the job in training camp. And like Mayfield, Jones has won his first two games in impressive fashion.

In the process, Jones has made Steichen look good for a decision that was being panned only four weeks ago.

“I think the consistency that he brings, his preparation — it’s coming to life on the field on Sundays,” Steichen said of Jones this week. “He works at it. I think he’s doing a really nice job of going through his reads. If the first read is not there, he’s getting to his second and third reads. The offensive line is doing a hell of a job for him. He’s communicating well with the receivers throughout the week [about] different looks that could come up, route adjustments and all those different things throughout the course of the week of preparation. 

“To see it happen on Sundays has been good, so we’ve got to continue that. … When you start playing at a high level, obviously your confidence grows and builds. Not with just Daniel, but with any player. Obviously we want to continue that trend each and every week. He’s been doing a hell of a job.”

Thus far, Jones has earned $122.2 million in his career, including a 4-year $160-million contract extension with the Giants that ultimately paid out a total of $82 million of that deal by the time Jones was released last November.

How much more is coming? That remains to be seen. But two games in, Danny Dimes is back on a Danny Dollars track. Which is more than many expected just four weeks ago.