The best thing to ever happen to Sam Darnold was getting out of New York. He was able to catch his breath and refocus away from the spotlight and the expectations. Leaving behind a dysfunctional franchise helped, too.
In a better place, he reminded everyone that he still has talent. He revived his NFL career.
Don’t expect history to repeat itself this year with Daniel Jones.
It’s not that Jones, the former and failed franchise quarterback of the Giants, can’t resurrect his own career in Indianapolis this season. He clearly has a chance after officially beating out Anthony Richardson for the Indianapolis Colts‘ starting job. It’s just that despite all the obvious similarities of a failed New York savior getting a second chance in the heartland, the road to redemption for him isn’t the same as it was for Darnold in Minnesota.
Darnold, who first had pit stops in Carolina and San Francisco, ultimately landed in an ideal situation. Jones most definitely did not.
“From what I’ve seen of (Jones), he needs a perfect situation around him to have success,” an NFL assistant coach told Fox Sports. “Give him a strong line, put him in the right scheme, put some talent around him and sure, you can win with him.
“But (Indianapolis) isn’t Minnesota. It’s just not the same.”
Daniel Jones #17 of the Indianapolis Colts warms up prior to an NFL preseason football game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 07, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
No, it’s not. Darnold stumbled into a QB nirvana last year in Minnesota after rookie J.J. McCarthy was lost for the season with a knee injury, forcing Darnold into the starting role. He was on a strong team loaded with offensive talent, with no viable backup quarterback looming over his shoulder, and a head coach (Kevin O’Connell) with a sense of stability and a well-earned reputation of being something of a quarterback whisperer.
Jones has literally none of that on his side. For starters, he’s on a questionable team, backed by a defense that ranked 29th last season and with some familiar questions on the offensive line. He does have an elite running back to hand the ball to, in Jonathan Taylor. But none of his receivers — not even two-time, 1,000-yard receiver Michael Pittman, who had a big dip last season (69 catches, 808 yards) — remind anyone of four-time All-Pro Justin Jefferson, Darnold’s elite target with the Vikings.
Meanwhile, Jones’ new coach, Shane Steichen, got his job largely due to the work he did with Jalen Hurts and the powerful Philadelphia Eagles offense as their coordinator in 2021-22, but he’s failed miserably with Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 draft. And speaking of Richardson, while it’s nice that Steichen insisted Jones was the starter for the season — “I don’t want to have a quick leash” — that sure sounds like more of a desire than a vow. Will he really keep the Colts’ former Quarterback of the Future on the bench if Jones struggles early, especially since Steichen’s own job is very much on the line?
Anthony Richardson Sr. #5 of the Indianapolis Colts and head coach Shane Steichen stand for the national anthem prior to an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 7, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
“All in all, it’s not a terrible situation for [Jones],” the assistant coach said. “Steichen’s system should fit what he can do. It’s really going to help that he’s far from that New York spotlight and the expectations are low. The talent around him is OK.
“But it’s far from perfect. There are a lot of questions. And let’s face it, he was in a better situation last year.”
Not the first part of last year, of course. Jones began 2024 as the Giants’ starter, still working his way back physically after missing the final two months of 2023 with a torn ACL. But he clearly wasn’t the same player. He was sacked five times in the opener and wilted under the pressure from there. And it didn’t help that he wasn’t nearly as effective as he previously was as a runner.
In mid-November, with a 2-8 record, Giants coach Brian Daboll knew he couldn’t ride out Jones’ struggles, so he benched him in favor of Tommy DeVito in a desperate attempt to salvage his job. Jones immediately asked for, and was granted, his release and quickly landed, fittingly, in Minnesota where he could see first-hand what Darnold had done.
Getting a chance to reset and learn from O’Connell had to be good for Jones, even if he was only there two months and never actually played in a game. It’s similar enough to what Darnold did in 2023, learning from Kyle Shanahan as a backup in San Francisco — an experience that helped set him up for the success he had in 2024.
Of course, Darnold’s issues were different. He suffered from what former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason calls “The Ghost Syndrome” — which he described as “indecision and anxiety wrapped up into one.” It happens when a young quarterback has trouble processing the defense and makes decisions based on what he thinks he sees versus what’s actually there.
That was Darnold’s biggest problem. Jones’ biggest problem is something else.
“He was ‘yippy,'” an NFC scout said. “He was so battered behind that terrible line in New York, with no talent around him except Saquon (Barkley), he was bailing out immediately, on everything. You could even see it in 2022 when he ran for all those yards (708, while helping lead the Giants to nine wins and the playoffs). Everything with him was rushed.
“That’s a hard habit to break.”
Jones has only had nine months to get over the shell shock that came with being sacked 208 times in 70 games over six seasons with New York. And it’s unclear if the Colts can completely break his habit of bailing out on plays and rushing everything when things go wrong. Handing off to Taylor, like he often did in New York with Barkley, will surely help. But while the Colts have a strong left side of their offensive line (tackle Bernhard Raimann and guard Quentin Nelson), there are questions about the unit beyond that.
Also, while Steichen will certainly look to lean on Jones’ legs the way he once did with Hurts and planned to do with Richardson, it’s fair to wonder if Jones is the same threat on the ground after two neck injuries and that torn ACL. In Minnesota, O’Connell carefully managed Darnold from the start, as the veteran averaged just 27 passes in the first seven games of 2024 and then 36 per game after that.
Taylor can and will carry a huge load for the Colts — he averaged 32 carries over the final three games of last season and 21.6 for the year. But he’s had injury issues, too — he hasn’t played a full season since 2021 — so it’s hard to know how long he can sustain that. With Steichen on the hot seat, he might not be able to safeguard Jones for long. If there’s even an inkling of success in Indy, Steichen might have to push his fragile quarterback for more.
The good news for Jones is that despite all that, his new situation is not as bad or dysfunctional as it was with the Giants, where co-owner John Mara once famously said, “We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up.” But the truth is it might only be marginally better. If the offensive line fails, if the coach starts feeling the heat, if the receivers and defense don’t step up to support him, Jones’ road to redemption could easily be cut short.
“I really believe he can play in this league,” the scout said. “Maybe not at an elite level, but a good team and good coach can win with him.
“I just don’t think this is that kind of situation.”
If it’s not, there won’t be a nine-figure deal and starting job waiting at the end of the rainbow like there was for Darnold. Instead, it’ll likely be Jones’ last shot to be QB1.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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