“I think Daniel’s got the talent, the leadership skills, the drive. He wants to do things,” Eli Manning said when Daniel Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract in 2023. However, it did not take Manning much time to realize that Jones may not be able to handle the pressure of playing for a New York team. “It’s tough in New York, that’s just the way it is. You have a short leash being here and I think it’s just trying to get off to a fast start,” Manning said last season. With Jones’ continuous poor form, the Giants were running out of options and had to take the hard call. Now, while the season is still six months away and those dreams of walking into Eli’s shoes crumbled pretty soon, Jones is trying to hit that reset button again by going back to where it all began.

Stepping into Eli Manning’s shoes was never a cakewalk for Jones. I mean, he did impress in his rookie season with those 24 TDs and 12 INTs, but that was just it. Just a week back, the Colts signed Jones on a 1-year $14 million contract. While it may seem like a wise move for the Colts, who are now moving on from Anthony Richardson, Chris Ballard, and Shane Steichen have been warned about their latest QB addition.

“The idea, I get—push Anthony Richardson the way you did last year when you benched him. And I don’t hate Jones as a bridge quarterback for someone. But I worry that it came at the expense of an offensive line that now has to replace Will Fries and Ryan Kelly,” NFL insider Albert Breer said. Notably, both Fries and Kelly are now headed to the Vikings, and Jones will have to start under an unproven center and guard. Meanwhile, the season is still six months away, and the Colts signal-caller has returned to familiar territory as he prepares for the next chapter of his NFL journey.

Duke Football’s official page on Instagram dropped a huge surprise surrounding their former Blue Devils graduate. Jones was seen back at Duke Campus to work out after starting his new chapter with the Colts. He was even captured linking up with one of his former Duke teammates, now Seahawks receiver, Jake Bobo. Judging by the snaps shared by the Blue Devils. Jones looked ripped as he threw his signature deep balls to Bobo, wearing his Seahawks helmet. But the thing is, this isn’t actually the first time he has gone back to his alma mater.

After finishing his rookie campaign as an understudy to Manning in 2019, Jones had some serious problems with ball security. He had 18 fumbles, out of which 11 were lost, leading to some serious concerns about his ball-handling capabilities. So, during the 2020 offseason, Jones paid a visit to Duke to work out with then-Giants receivers Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard. At that time, it looked like Eli himself had told him to do so. Why? Because Manning himself used to practice at Duke during his offseasons, where his former college mentor David Cutcliffe used to coach.

However, the following season, Jones’ ball security problems didn’t leave him completely. Yes, it did drop to 11 from 18 in his sophomore season. But he still led the league in fumbles.

Staying on the topic of fumbles, it didn’t actually take long for Jones to fumble his whole Giants tenure. Within 5 1/2 years, his Giants stint was cut short mid-season after constant failures. Since he wasn’t in Big Blues anymore, Jones eventually signed with the Vikings practice squad.

Then, after the Vikings also chose to not sign him, Jones landed in Indianapolis. And now, suddenly, out of nowhere, it looks like he might be the starter again. At least, the mood around the Colts QB room says so.

Is Daniel Jones set for a redemption arc in Indianapolis?

See, first things first, Jones is still 27. Yes, he had a horrible record with the Giants, even after playing as their starter for 6 years. Like the lowest win % among all 50 starting QBs since 2019 and the lowest TD % (3.1) for at least 1,000 passing attempts within the same period. Those are the numbers that don’t guarantee you a starting place anywhere in the league—until you are probably the Colts. Their GM, Chris Ballard, has teased it will be an “open competition” for the starting spot next season. So, it means Anthony Richardson has to step up, as Jones is already on his tail to grab his spot.

Richardson’s tenure in Indy has been a bit shaky, to say the least. Casting aside his rookie campaign that only lasted for 4 games after suffering an AC joint sprain. His sophomore campaign was even more entertaining. Missing more games for an oblique injury. Then, that controversial mid-game break he took for a breather against the Texans. At that time, it looked like Richardson’s time in Indianapolis was almost over. But Joe Flacco did him some favor.

When the Colts saw a 40-year-old Flacco wasn’t the answer to their offense when he committed 6 turnovers and lost both games, they called back Richardson. After getting a second chance, Richardson’s campaign ended with only 8 TDs and 12 INTs. Those are pretty uninspiring numbers, right? Maybe that’s why the Colts thought: why not bring a seasoned professional like Jones? 69 career starts and okayish numbers both as a passer and a runner. He surely looks better than Richardson.

The Colts probably believe Jones is the answer if Richardson fails again. So, only time will tell whether Jones will get his shot at redemption in Indy Blues. Or will Richardson bring out his inner Peyton Manning to squash Jones Colts’ dream before it even begins? What do you think?