Seven and a half months after his 2025 season ended early with a torn right Achilles in Week 14 against the Jaguars, Daniel Jones is telling everyone he's good to go. He said Monday he's fully cleared for training camp and plans to be in full 11-on-11 team drills when the Colts open practice Wednesday.
The news broke Sunday that Jones is fully cleared from the Achilles tear and set to practice at the start of camp, according to Pat McAfee's show.
This isn't a minor subplot for Indianapolis. Jones was in the middle of a legitimate breakthrough year before the injury hit, and the Colts responded by handing him a two-year, $88 million contract in March that can max out around $100 million, complete with $50 million fully guaranteed at signing. That's the richest two-year deal in NFL history for a quarterback, and it was signed while he was still rehabbing.
That kind of money doesn't get handed out on hope alone. It's a bet that last season's version of Jones, the one who finally looked like the guy the Giants drafted 6th overall back in 2019, is the real thing and not a one-year mirage. An Achilles tear at 28 is scary for any player, let alone a quarterback whose game leans on mobility, so every camp update between now and Week 1 is going to get magnified.
Jones himself isn't pretending it's a finished process, he's said there's still work to do as the Colts get ready to open the season at home against the Ravens. But going from a season-ending injury in December to full participation by late July is on the faster end of a typical Achilles recovery timeline, and it's exactly the update Indianapolis needed heading into camp.
The real test starts now. Cleared for drills is one thing, holding up through a full training camp, then a 17-game season behind an offensive line, is another. But for a Colts team that just bet nine figures on him, Jones jogging out for 11-on-11s this week is the best news they could've asked for.