Daniel Jones has done plenty to torture the New York Giants and their fans over since he was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Whether it was overall dismal quarterback play, one outlier season to get the G-Men to commit to a new contract, not remotely living up to that contract, or something else before his release last season, Danny Dimes is the opposite of a fan favorite in the Big Apple.
If there's one silver lining, Jones is no longer New York's problem. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings after his release from the Giants in the 2024 season and then was on the open market this offseason. A return to the Vikings as J.J. McCarthy's backup was on the table but the Indianapolis Colts were also involved.
On Tuesday, Jones signed a one-year deal with the Colts, making his decision and choosing to compete in Indianapolis with Anthony Richardson, as reported by Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The Colts aren't an immediate threat to the Giants. They're in the opposite conference and not really in direct competition with New York. At the same time, Jones landing with Indianapolis ultimately sets up the 27-year-old quarterback to screw over the G-Men one final time.
Daniel Jones can torture Giants fans one final time after spurning Vikings
The Giants, of course, are also looking for a veteran quarterback this offseason, assumedly to compete with a pick at the top of the 2025 draft, whether that's Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders. Reports have indicated that the two likeliest options are Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. Jones going to the Colts, however, puts the Vikings in position to potentially snipe one of those guys.
While Tom Pelissero has reported that Rodgers going full Brett Favre and heading to the Vikings after the Jets is unlikely, Minnesota has to make a pivot to find a backup for McCarthy. Sam Darnold and now Jones are off the table, so the Vikings and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will have to pivot and someone like Wilson would make sense.
Throw in the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers remain invested in Rodgers, that could leave the Giants without a viable veteran option to pursue. Both the Vikings and Steelers are more attractive situations than New York right now, so you couldn't blame a veteran for choosing to head to either of those spots over playing home games at MetLife.
Now, the Giants wouldn't be completely without options — rather, it would only further their investment in a rookie quarterback. Even still, it's a twist of the knife that the master plan for this organization this offseason could be thrown into the garbage because of Daniel Jones. He's the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come all wrapped up in one, only there might not be a Scrooge-ian revelation at the end of this story.