Retained GM Chris Ballard backs Daniel Jones as Colts' future - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Colts general manager Chris Ballard is on the clock if owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon is to be believed. Now, as he plots his next moves to get Indianapolis back to the playoffs and end a five-year drought, he plans to lean heavily on quarterback Daniel Jones to get them there.

That was one of the clear takeaways from Ballard's season-ending news conference Thursday, when he said the franchise strongly believes Jones can be the possible answer to its franchise quarterback void.

«I'm looking at him both near and long [term],» Ballard said of Jones, adding, «When you're chasing the quarterback all the time, it makes it very hard. Your margin for error really shrinks down. And I feel very good about Daniel Jones and where he's at, where he's going. Yes, he's got the Achilles. But I think Daniel Jones has got a really bright future here in Indianapolis.»

The Colts have been on a lengthy search for quarterback stability, fielding a different Week 1 quarterback in eight of the past nine seasons. Their 2023 first-round pick, Anthony Richardson Sr., faces an uncertain future after being benched temporarily last season, losing a preseason position battle with Jones in 2025 and suffering what would be a season-ending orbital fracture in October.

Jones joined the Colts last spring after an embattled six-year stint with the New York Giants and led them to an 8-2 start. But he sustained a torn right Achilles tendon in December, an injury that helped quicken the team's historic collapse with a season-ending seven-game losing streak.

Jones' injury is not the only variable, as he will be a free agent in the spring. The injury could complicate negotiations, but Ballard said he isn't concerned.

«Of course» it will have an