A couple of weeks ago, some rumors popped up about the Minnesota Vikings potentially wanting to bring back quarterback Daniel Jones in 2026 after his current deal with the Indianapolis Colts expires.
Well, any return to Minnesota for Jones next year now seems highly unlikely after what happened to the Colts' quarterback in his team's Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Midway through the matchup with the Jaguars, Jones dropped back to pass and went down with a non-contact leg injury that looked all too familiar to Vikings fans. Eventually, he was ruled out of the rest of the matchup with an Achilles injury, and after the game, it was revealed that he suffered a torn Achilles, according to ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio.
Daniel Jones looks to be in serious pain after trying to limp off the field pic.twitter.com/mq2z7PRaqw
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 7, 2025
Return to Minnesota Vikings in 2026 now highly unlikely for Indianapolis Colts QB Daniel Jones
The odds of the Colts just letting Jones walk in free agency this upcoming offseason already seemed low, so him returning to Minnesota next year already felt pretty unlikely.
But after his unfortunate Achilles injury on Sunday, don't expect Jones to be targeted by the Vikings in 2026 at all.
Just as a fan of football, it's difficult not to feel bad for Jones, who was in the middle of having a resurgent season in his first year with Indianapolis. Many thought his time in the NFL as a starting quarterback had already come to a close, but he proved a lot of people wrong this season.
Now, Jones is staring at a long recovery from an Achilles injury that could have a major impact on the rest of his career in the NFL. The injury will likely cost him a bunch of money also, as he was on track to earn a lucrative, multi-year contract from the Colts or another team in the upcoming offseason.
Indianapolis will probably attempt to bring him back in 2026, but it won't cost them anywhere close to what people thought it would.