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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/ColtsClown on 2026-03-02 13:59:03+00:00.
32 Teams/32 Days Hub
2025 Indianapolis Colts
Record: 8-9 | 3rd in AFC South | Eliminated from playoff contention week 17
Two common sayings in the NFL are that a team can be “a quarterback away” from competing, and that “if you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” The Colts entered the 2025 Offseason believing the first and expecting to have to contend with the latter. They signed Daniel Jones, and despite fans and commentators alike assuming it was Richardson’s job to lose (including yours truly), Jones won the job outright and unconditionally. The Colts did not have two quarterbacks, they had one, and it was Daniel Jones.
And then the Colts made a case that, perhaps, they were indeed a quarterback away. A roster that had been good “on paper” over the last few years came alive under Daniel Jones’ leadership, going 8-1 in the first half of the season, beating the absolute piss out of bad teams, and playing good teams close to the wire. The team didn’t punt even once in their first two games (a super bowl era record), put up 29 or more points in eight out of their first ten games, and just looked like juggernauts. They made it look easy.
Finally, the Colts finished the season with another NFL history record, they became the first team to start 8-2 and then end up with a losing record at 8-9. What changed? Did teams just figure out the Colts’ scheme? Was Jones’ hairline fracture in his fibula (which happened some time before week 12) limiting his ability to play (not to mention the subsequent achilles tear)? Did the Colts just have a schedule packed with scrubs in the first half of the year? Whatever caused their meteoric return to earth, the 2025 Colts team that looked like legit super contenders at the start of the season would lose seven games straight and ultimately miss the playoffs by a hair yet again. Along the way, they’d sign Philip Rivers out of retirement to lead the final playoff push, and he played surprisingly well, but the downfall continued, leaving the Colts to wonder, yet again, is this team really a quarterback away? Or are there deeper problems on the roster (or in leadership) yet to be addressed?
So what now?
Last year, I was diagnosed with ADHD. I was prescribed Concerta, and that first day, I felt a calm and peace that I’ve only felt a handful of times before, like my mind had always been a few steps ahead of me but I’d finally caught up to it. Six months later, something happened that many people with ADHD experience. The meds stopped working. Whether it was a slow decline that I only noticed towards the end, or a rapid shift as my body adapted, I’m genuinely not sure, but one day it was just clear to me, that feeling of calm and peace, that control, was missing. And though I had developed the coping skills to deal with being unmedicated (as I had been for 30 years), it was worse now, because I finally knew, in comparison, how good things could be. My psychiatrist gave me a choice: double down and raise the dosage on the meds (increasing the side effects along with it), or try something new and see what happens.
The 2026 Colts’ success or failure will be predicated on one key decision. Do the Colts re-sign Daniel Jones, hoping he can recover from his week 14 achilles tear and build on what he started in 2025 rather than revert to the way he was for two contracts with the Giants? Or do they look elsewhere at the QB position, disheartened by the collapse that potentially started 2-3 weeks before that injury (and can they even do that when they traded their 1st round picks away for a CB)? But that’s not exactly fair to Daniel Jones, and as we’ll discuss, the problems with this team in 2025 ran deeper than any one player, even if that player was playing at the most important position. So which version of the 2025 Colts should we expect to see in 2026: the team that broke records and stomped the league for 8 weeks, or the “good on paper” team that has fallen short of expectations for most of this past decade?
Table of Contents
I have no self control (ADHD, remember?) so here are 11k words about the Indianapolis Colts. Follow the links below to read each section. For those looking for a TLDR, skip past all that to get to the Recap and Outlook where I’ll give you the good, the bad, and the ugly about this team and its future.
Free Agency
The Draft
Regular Season Review Part 1
Regular Season Review Part 2
Roster Review | Offense
Roster Review | Defense & Special Teams
Team Stats & Leadership Review
2026 Free Agents and Team Needs
Recap and Outlook
Free Agency
Arrivals
| Player | Position | Years | Total $ (Guaranteed $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charvarius Ward | CB | 3 yrs | $54M ($27M) |
| Camryn Bynum | S | 4 yrs | $60M ($26M) |
| Daniel Jones | QB | 1 yr | $14M ($13.1M) |
| Neville Gallimore | DT | 1 yr | $1.3M ($400k) |
| Corey Ballantine | CB | 1 yr | $1.3M ($400k) |
| Xavien Howard | CB | 1 yr | $2.8M |
| Khalil Herbert | RB | 1 yr | $1.1M |
| Joe Bachie | LB | 1yr | $1.1M |
Departures
| Player | Position | Team | Years | Total $ (Guaranteed $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Flacco | QB | CLE | 1 yr | $4.3M ($3M) |
| Sam Ehlinger | QB | DEN | 1 yr | $1.3M ($467k) |
| Juwann Winfree | WR | n/a | - | - |
| Ryan Kelly | C | MIN | 2 yrs | $18M ($9.3M) |
| Will Fries | RG | MIN | 5 yrs | $87.7M ($34M) |
| Mark Glowinski | G | n/a | - | - |
| Kylen Granson | TE | PHI | 1 yr | $1.8M ($1.4M) |
| Taven Bryan | DT | BAL (PS only) | - | - |
| Dayo Odeyingbo | DE | CHI | 3 yrs | $48M ($29.5M) |
| E.J. Speed | LB | HOU | 1 yr | $3.5M ($3.3M) |
| Grant Stuard | LB/ST | DET | 1 yr | $1.7M ($1.7M) |
| Julian Blackmon | S | NO | 1 yr | $3.1M ($3.1M) |
| Ronnie Harrison | S | ATL (PS only) | - | - |
| Matt Gay | K | n/a (cut) | - | - |
Extensions and Re-signings
| Player | Position | Years | Total $ (Guaranteed $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesley French | C | 1 yr | $1M |
| Danny Pinter | G/C | 1 yr | $1.7M ($750k) |
| Ashton Dulin | WR/ST | 2 yrs | $6.5M ($2.9M) |
| Mo Alie-Cox | TE | 1 yr | $2.2M ($1.2M) |
| David Long Jr | CB | 1 yr | $1.2M |
| Spencer Shrader | K | 2 yr | $2.5M ($750k) |
Draft Picks
| Round | Player | Position | School | Made Roster? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Warren | TE | Penn State | Yes |
| 2 | JT Tuimoloau | DE | Ohio State | Yes |
| 3 | Justin Walley | CB | Minnesota | Yes (IR) |
| 4 | Jalen Travis | T | Iowa State | Yes |
| 5 | DJ Giddens | RB | Kansas State | Yes |
| 6 | Riley Leonard | QB | Notre Dame | Yes |
| 6 | Tim Smith | DL | Alabama | Yes |
| 7 | Hunter Wohler | LB | Wisconsin | Yes (IR) |
| UDFA | Jonathan Edwards | CB | Tulane | Yes |
| UDFA | Coleman Owen | WR | Ohio | No (PS) |
Notable In-Season Acquisitions
| Player | Position | Years | Total $ (Guaranteed $) | Trade Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sauce Gardner | CB | 6 years* | $131.5M (71.3$M)* | ’25 1.16, ‘26 1st, WR Adonai Mitchell |
| Germaine Pratt | LB | 1 yr | $1.5M ($600k) | n/a |
| Michael Badgley | K | 1 yr | $1.2M | n/a |
| Blake Grupe | K | 1 yr | $1M | n/a |
| Philip Rivers | QB | 1 year | $1.3M | n/a |
(* Per ESPN, factoring in remaining rookie deal years and signing bonus already paid by Jets.)
Game Log
| Week | Matchup | Score (W/L) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs. MIA | 33 - 8 (W) | 1 - 0 |
| 2 | vs. DEN | 29 - 28 (W) | 2 - 0 |
| 3 | @ TEN | 41 - 20 (W) | 3 - 0 |
| 4 | @ LAR | 20 - 27 (L) | 3 - 1 |
| 5 | vs. LV | 40 - 6 (W) | 4 - 1 |
| 6 | vs. ARI | 31 - 27 (W) | 5 - 1 |
| 7 | @ LAC | 38 - 24 (W) | 6 - 1 |
| 8 | vs. TEN | 38 - 14 (W) | 7 - 1 |
| 9 | @ PIT | 20 - 27 (L) | 7 - 2 |
| 10 | vs. ATL | 31 - 25, OT (W) | 8 - 2 |
| 11 | BYE | - | - |
| 12 | @ KC | 20 - 23, OT (L) | 8 - 3 |
| 13 | vs. HOU | 16 - 20 (L) | 8 - 4 |
| 14 | @ Jax | 19 - 36 (L) | 8 - 5 |
| 15 | @ SEA | 16 - 18 (L) | 8 - 6 |
| 16 | vs. SF | 27 - 48 (L) | 8 - 7 |
| 17 | vs. JAX | 17 - 23 (L) | 8 - 8 |
| 18 | @ HOU | 30 - 38 (L) | 8 - 9 |
2025 Notable Free Agents
| Player | Position | Starter | Likely to Re-sign? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Jones | QB | Yes | Yes |
| Alec Pierce | WR | Yes | Maybe |
| Braden Smith | RT | Yes | … |
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