Who Should I Start? Daniel Jones or Drake Maye

Tuesday, February 17, 8:40 AM

NFL.com's Judy Battista writes that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles) could receive the franchise tag to buy the team some time to work out a long-term contract extension. The Colts have made it clear that they want Jones to be their starter in 2026 whenever he's healthy. Plenty of teams around the league would be interested in the 28-year-old if he were to reach free agency, though, so the tag could be in play for him if he doesn't agree to an extension before the free-agent negotiating period starts on March 9. Battista adds that the decision on Jones is linked to the Colts' chances of re-signing receiver Alec Pierce, who is coming off a career year as the team's No. 1 wideout. If the Colts get Jones signed to an extension, they could then use the franchise tag on Pierce instead. Jones had a nice bounce-back season in his first year in Indy in 2025, throwing for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions before tearing his Achilles in Week 14 against the Jaguars.

Tuesday, February 10, 11:58 AM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (shoulder) acknowledged that the hit he took in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos was significant as it relates to his right throwing shoulder, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Maye was managing his shoulder injury in the two weeks leading into Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks, but both Maye and the Patriots downplayed the severity. Maye admitted that his shoulder was an issue in the 29-13 loss to Seattle in the Super Bowl, in which he went 27-for-43 passing for 295 yards and two touchdowns. The second-year QB threw picks and lost a fumble as well in what was a disappointing finish to an excellent second year for the North Carolina product. Maye doesn't expect to require surgery, though, and he should be fully healthy going into the 2026 campaign. The 23-year-old led the NFL with a 72% completion percentage during the regular season and finished as a top-five fantasy QB, although New England's regular-season schedule was extremely soft.