NFL Trade Rumors
According to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, the Colts have been having internal conversations for months about a new long-term deal for QB Daniel Jones as his resurgent season has continued.
Now, Holder says there is significantly more conviction about Jones, as evidenced by the Colts trading their next two first-round picks for CB Sauce Gardner, picks that otherwise might have been reserved to chase a solution at quarterback. It’s clear the Colts plan to sign Jones to a long-term deal, per Holder.
The Gardner trade also signals a change of plans about other players on the roster, per Holder. He notes the Colts had decided a while back that they probably wouldn’t be able to afford to keep WR Alec Pierce when his rookie contract expired after this season, and they’d instead roll with 2024 second-round WR Adonai Mitchell in a bigger role.
However, the Jets pushed to have Mitchell included in the Gardner deal after his lack of consistency pushed him to the bench in Indianapolis. Pierce is also in the midst of a breakout season and has added new layers to his game. Holder says the idea of bringing Pierce back now has a lot of momentum for the Colts.
Holder adds that the trade also shows Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has significant trust in GM Chris Ballard, and after coming into the year on the hot seat, the longtime exec is a lot closer to getting a new contract than getting fired.
Ballard is under contract through the 2026 season. Given that teams usually don’t like to have lame duck years for top executives, a new deal seems likely if the Colts continue their current trajectory.
Jones, 28, was selected by the Giants with the No. 6 overall pick out of Duke in the 2019 NFL Draft. He finished the final year of his four-year, $25,664,056 rookie contract that included a $16,684,768 signing bonus.
The Giants declined Jones’ fifth-year option entering the 2022 season. After playing out his deal, he signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the team in 2023.
Jones was granted his release by the Giants after being benched in 2024 and was later signed to the Vikings’ practice squad. He then signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts for the 2025 season.
In 2025, Jones has appeared in 10 games for the Colts and completed 69.9 percent of his passes for 2,659 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s added 40 rush attempts for 143 yards and five touchdowns.
Pierce, 25, is a former second-round pick by the Colts in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati.
He’s in the final year of a four-year $6,601,342 rookie contract that included a $1,980,976 signing bonus.
In 2025, Pierce has appeared in eight games for the Colts and recorded 28 receptions on 52 targets for 585 yards (20.9 YPC) and one touchdown.
Ballard, 56, began working as a college coach in 1994 before being hired by the Bears as an area scout in 2001....
