Daniel Jones Draws Trade Calls as the 2-6 Colts Listen: Why the Vikings Keep Coming Up and What a Deal Would Mean for Fantasy

The Indianapolis Colts have received calls from multiple teams about Daniel Jones and are willing to listen to offers before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jones is still scheduled to start Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, but the reporting turns a 2-6 team's starting quarterback into one of the more intriguing names on the final weekend of the trade market.

The obvious speculative fit is the Minnesota Vikings, who will start Carson Wentz on Monday night against Buffalo with Kyler Murray week-to-week because of a strained hamstring. Rapoport has cooled that connection publicly, but said he would never rule anything out. The Baltimore Ravens also checked in on Jones before acquiring Jacoby Brissett from Arizona, which removes one potential buyer from the field.

Why the Colts are listening

Indianapolis is in full sell mode. The franchise fired general manager Chris Ballard on Oct. 19 after a 2-4 start that ended with a loss to the previously winless Titans. Since then, the Colts have traded Quenton Nelson to Seattle and DeForest Buckner to San Francisco, are taking calls on Jonathan Taylor, and have a trade request from receiver Josh Downs. They have lost four straight to fall to 2-6.

Jones is a natural part of that conversation. He signed a two-year, $88 million extension in March after returning from a torn right Achilles suffered last Dec. 7, and his 2026 season has been the weakest of his career by several measures. Head coach Shane Steichen has kept him in the starting job, but the Colts' long-term quarterback plan is clearly unsettled with a new general manager search coming.

The contract creates a complication. Reporting this week noted that Jones's deal includes a $10.51 million injury guarantee for 2027 that becomes fully guaranteed if he is on the roster in mid-March. Any acquiring team would have to be comfortable with that, which is one reason a deal may be harder to complete than the volume of calls suggests.

Where Jones stands through eight games

Jones has struggled throughout the season, and especially over his last five games.

Those numbers explain the gap between interest and a completed trade. Teams calling about Jones are likely looking for a veteran with starting experience who can manage a short-term injury, not a franchise answer. The Colts, for their part, have little reason to hold out for a big return, but also no need to give him away with a year left on the guaranteed portion of his deal.

The Vikings angle

Minnesota is 6-1 and in the thick of the NFC race, which is why any quarterback injury there draws attention. Murray strained his hamstring late in the Nov. 1 loss to Detroit, an MRI confirmed the strain, and Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that Murray will miss at least Monday's game. O'Connell also indicated that Murray is not a candidate for injured reserve, which points to a short absence.

That detail undercuts the case for a trade. If Murray is back for the Nov. 15 trip to Green Bay or shortly after, Minnesota has less reason to give up assets for a bridge quarterback. Wentz has started for the Vikings before and has a track record with Justin Jefferson that fantasy analysts view favorably. Jones does have history in Minnesota, having spent the end of the 2024 season on the Vikings' practice squad, but familiarity alone does not justify a trade.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has also floated Minnesota as a possible fit for Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, though he framed it as a long shot. The broader takeaway is that the Vikings are being linked to quarterbacks because of their record and Murray's injury, not because of any confirmed negotiation.

Fantasy fallout

If Jones stays in Indianapolis: Nothing changes for managers, which is not good news for Colts pass catchers. Jones's accuracy has capped Tyler Warren and Josh Downs, and Warren remains a TE1 primarily because of target volume rather than efficiency. Sunday's game against Dallas has one of the highest totals of Week 9, so Colts pass catchers are in play this week regardless of the deadline noise.

If Jones is traded: The bigger fantasy effect is in Indianapolis, not wherever Jones lands. The Colts would turn to their backup quarterback for the rest of the season, which would likely compress the passing game further. Warren's floor would remain intact because of his role underneath, but Downs (if he is not traded himself) and the outside receivers would take a hit. Jones himself would be a bench option in one-quarterback leagues on any new team and a low-end Superflex stash at best.

If Minnesota adds any quarterback: Jefferson and Jordan Addison managers should not panic. Any veteran acquired would be a short-term bridge, and Murray's injury is not expected to be long.

What to do in your league

Do not chase Jones in Superflex leagues. Even with a trade, his production this season does not support a starting spot, and the most realistic outcome is a backup role somewhere. The better move is to sit tight with Colts pass catchers this week in a favorable game environment against Dallas, then re-evaluate after Tuesday.

Vikings managers should treat the trade chatter as noise. Wentz is the Monday starter, Murray is week-to-week, and nothing in the reporting suggests Minnesota is close to a deal. Bettors should note that Dallas was favored by five and a half to six points in Indianapolis earlier in the week, a number that already reflects Jones's struggles. For the model's view on this weekend's games, see /nfl/predictions.

What's next

Jones starts Sunday against Dallas, and a strong game would only help Indianapolis's leverage. Talks across the league are expected to pick up after the weekend's games, and any Jones deal would most likely come Monday or Tuesday morning.

The more probable outcome, based on the reporting so far, is that Jones finishes the season in Indianapolis while the Colts focus on moving Taylor and Downs. Verdexed will update the fantasy outlook for every Colts player involved as soon as any deal is official.