Daniel Jones turned down Sam Darnold-like offer from Colts, says insider
· Yahoo Sports
The Indianapolis Colts and Daniel Jones didn't appear to be all that close during contract negotiations prior to the franchise tag deadline.
Sports Illustrated's NFL insider Albert Breer shared recently in his mailbag just how far apart the two sides were in negotiations.
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"The Colts’ initial offer to Jones was in the range of Sam Darnold’s three-year, $100.5 million deal last offseason," Breer wrote. "Jones’s camp countered that, based on the leverage a franchise tag would have given him, a deal worth $50 million per year would be more in the ballpark of what he’d take if he did a deal before this week."
The Colts would end up using the transition tag on Jones, which would pay him $37.83 million for the 2026 if he were to play out the season on that deal. This tag also allows Jones to negotiate with other teams and receive offers, but the Colts have the opportunity to match.
By using the transition tag, Chris Ballard must be confident that any offers that Jones does receive will be much closer to what the Colts offered than what Jones was asking for.
The Colts want to get a deal done with Jones, and by all accounts, Jones would like to remain in Indianapolis. However, the two are going to need to bridge what is reportedly a very large gap. Jones being able to test the market should help accomplish that -- hopefully.
(This article will be updated.)
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Report: Colts and Daniel Jones weren't close in contract negotiations