Daniel Jones has signed 2 yr 88m contract

[sherck]

Originally Posted by Hoopsdoc

Wait, so there is a 26.4 million cap hit in 2028 regardless of whether he’s still in Indy?

Well, yes, if DJ plays both years of his 2-year salary.

No if he only plays one year and then the Colts cut him. Then ALL of his pro-rated signing bonus will accellerate into 2027.

Originally Posted by Puck

Ok. Cap money gurus

Can you explain void years ?

As AlwaysSunnyInIndy said, they are a cap tool that teams are using in order to extend the cap hit of signing bonus.

In this case, instead of chunking the $44m signing bonus into only two cap accounting buckets of $22m for 2026 and $22m for 2027, they instead added three "void" years and now split the pro-rated signing bonus into five buckets of $8.8m for 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.

If DJ only plays 1 year of his contract, then the rest of the pro-rated signing bonus ($35.2m) will then accellerate into 2027 as he is now off contract.

If DJ plays both years of his contract, then the rest of the pro-rated signing bonus ($26.4m) will accellerate into 2028 as he is now off contract.

If the Colts re-sign or extend DJ past 2027, then those void years chuncks of pro-rated signing bonuses will still hit in their appropriate year ALONG WITH new pro-rated signing bonus from the new contract.

It is a replacement for signing players to a 5-year contact with both sides KNOWING FULL WELL that it is really only a 2-year contact because it balloons so much that no NFL team will be willing to pay years 3-5.

The player's union sought it as a tool because they wanted to differenate between "real" big contracts (5-year, $250m for QBs) and fake $250m contracts that everyone knew would never get paid out just to move more cap hit from the signing bonus into the future.

And, yes, the Eagles have been using void years for a good decade now in order to keep pushing the cap hits forward into a future where the salary cap keeps growing. Some think that it is the new way to manage caps and if you are good enough at it, then the bills "never" become due.

While I think it a good tool to use here or there, adding void years to almost every veteran contact you sign, IMO, is not the best plan.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by sherck

Well, yes, if DJ plays both years of his 2-year salary.

No if he only plays one year and then the Colts cut him. Then ALL of his pro-rated signing bonus will accellerate into 2027.


As AlwaysSunnyInIndy said, they are a cap tool that teams are using in order to extend the cap hit of signing bonus.

In this case, instead of chunking the $44m signing bonus into only two cap accounting buckets of $22m for 2026 and $22m for 2027, they instead added three "void" years and now split the pro-rated signing bonus into five buckets of $8.8m for 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.

If DJ only plays 1 year of his contract, then the rest of the pro-rated signing bonus ($35.2m) will then accellerate into 2027 as he is now off contract.

If DJ plays both years of his contract, then the rest of the pro-rated signing bonus ($26.4m) will accellerate into 2028 as he is now off contract.

If the Colts re-sign or extend DJ past 2027, then those void years chuncks of pro-rated signing bonuses will still hit in their appropriate year ALONG WITH new pro-rated signing bonus from the new contract.

It is a replacement for signing players to a 5-year contact with both sides KNOWING FULL WELL that it is really only a 2-year contact because it balloons so much that no NFL team will be willing to pay years 3-5.

The player's union sought it as a tool because they wanted to differenate between "real" big contracts (5-year, $250m for QBs) and fake $250m contracts that everyone knew would never get paid out just to move more cap hit from the signing bonus into the future.

And, yes, the Eagles have been using void years for a good decade now in order to keep pushing the cap hits forward into a future where the salary cap keeps growing. Some think that it is the new way to manage caps and if you are good enough at it, then the bills "never" become due.

While I think it a good tool to use here or there, adding void years to almost every veteran contact you sign, IMO, is not the best plan.

Mickey Loomis used it for a decade to completely flaunt the salary cap until the team got bad, then he just ate the charges. Howie Roseman has been structuring everything to come due in 2029, when the new TV deal is signed, which is expected to cause a massive cap jump. I think if managed correctly, void years are a tool that can effectively get around tge salary cap, provided the team owner is liquid enough to support the strategy.

[rm1369]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

Mickey Loomis used it for a decade to completely flaunt the salary cap until the team got bad, then he just ate the charges. Howie Roseman has been structuring everything to come due in 2029, when the new TV deal is signed, which is expected to cause a massive cap jump. I think if managed correctly, void years are a tool that can effectively get around tge salary cap, provided the team owner is liquid enough to support the strategy.

Yeah it has been a major under utilized tool by Ballard. Like most things, going to the extreme can cause major issues. But using a nearly straight cap allocation and trying to compete against teams pushing money into the future will always put you at a disadvantage. The key is in managing it properly to coincide with your window or other major events. There has to be a plan.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by rm1369

Yeah it has been a major under utilized tool by Ballard. Like most things, going to the extreme can cause major issues. But using a nearly straight cap allocation and trying to compete against teams pushing money into the future will always put you at a disadvantage. The key is in managing it properly to coincide with your window or other major events. There has to be a plan.

I think he was waiting for the chance to push in all the chips. With how the team looked before his injury, this looks like the time to do it.

[rm1369]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

I think he was waiting for the chance to push in all the chips. With how the team looked before his injury, this looks like the time to do it.

There is a lot of offseason left, but if he’s finally pushing in all of his chips he’s got some work to do.

[Oldcolt]

As a contrarian i don't think not having a first round draft choice has anything to do at all with us signing Jones. We have needed a QB for a decade, have had all our first round draft picks and have used exactly two (trade for Wentz and AR) on a QB and both failed spectacularly. We have been inept at evaluating and drafting at this position for a long time.

[Oldcolt]

Originally Posted by rm1369

There is a lot of offseason left, but if he’s finally pushing in all of his chips he’s got some work to do.

At this point we have lost more on defense than we have added and we still have no pass rush. Like m1369 said there is a ton of offseason left but there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

[Puck]

https://x.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/2...689018295?s=20


Pat McAfee
@PatMcAfeeShow
·
Apr 14
"Daniel Jones was at the Masters walking around"

I LOVE THAT JIM NANTZ #PMSLive

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Puck

"Daniel Jones was at the Masters, walking around.’

o


That's a little vague.

In other breaking news, Jonathan Taylor had a protein shake and a big glass of Gatorade yesterday afternoon.

o

[Colts And Orioles]

o


Daniel Jones Takes a Big Step in Achilles Return by Playing 7-On-7

(By Joel A. Erickson)

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...y/90360243007/




* * * ))) Daniel Jones is returning from a torn Achilles tendon suffered 6 months ago during the 2025 season.

* * * ))) Shane Steichen has instructed Jones to avoid scrambling, and be smart in practice situations.

* * * ))) Jones is expected to be ready for full-team work by training camp and start the 2026 season opener.



INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts initially thought it might be a long-shot to get Daniel Jones into 7-on-7 work before the start of training camp.

There is no pass rush to avoid, obviously, but quarterbacks often roll out of the pocket in 7-on-7, “buying time” if the initial route or read is covered. Jones is still only 6 months removed from the torn Achilles tendon that effectively ended the Colts’ playoff hopes in 2025, and the temptation to roll out was always going to be there.

But then Jones started throwing to receivers at organized team activities, and he’s been seen running sprints and doing agility work with trainers after practices.

Head coach Shane Steichen decided that it was time to let Jones progress to the next step. When the Colts opened their 7-on-7 session at the team’s organized team activity on Monday, Jones was the quarterback leading the starters.

“He's been throwing routes with the guys, and we just told him, ‘Don't scramble in 7-on-7s. Be smart in these situations. If it's not there, throw it out of bounds, or if you want to drop it on the ground, I'm good with that too,’” Steichen said. “But yeah, he looked good out there today throwing with the guys.”

Jones didn’t have to dump the ball on the ground Monday.

For the most part, he has looked very good as a thrower in the OTA's open to the media, although it is clear that his drop-back is still a little bit stiff compared to his usual athleticism.

“I think that it's just making those strides, each and every week, and to get him out there in 7-on-7 was huge,” Steichen said. “To get him in the fold, running plays with the guys.”

A return to 11-on-11, full-team work is the final step, a step that Jones will not take before the Colts break for the summer. Steichen does not plan to ask his quarterback to play in a setting where a pass rusher or offensive linemen could fall on Jones.

“We always want to be smart,” Steichen said. “I mean, it's spring. We don't play for a while, so we’ve got to be smart with his injury, but he's making great progress.”

Jones made it clear last week that his expectation is to be the team’s starting quarterback when the Colts open the 2026 season at home against the Ravens.

“There’s definitely still work to be done and progress to be made,” Jones said last week. “I think that it’s just continuing to get stronger, continuing to run faster, cut harder and progress kind of according to the program, but it’s been good. I think that we’ve hit all of our marks so far, and we’ll continue to do that.”

By playing in 7-on-7, Jones is a little bit ahead of the marks that the Colts set for him initially ...... the next step is to return to the huddle for real football, a step that he won’t take until the Colts report to Grand Park in late July ...... but it is still remarkable that a return at the start of training camp now seems like a foregone conclusion.

o