Daniel Jones

Daniel Stephen Jones III was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, the oldest son of Steve and Becca Jones. He grew up in an athletic family; his younger brother Bates played collegiate basketball for Davidson and Duke, his sister Becca played field hockey at Davidson, and his sister Ruthie played goalkeeper for Duke's women's soccer team. Jones grew up rooting for his hometown NFL team, the Carolina Panthers.

Jones attended Charlotte Latin School, where he served as team captain for two seasons and led the program to two state championship appearances. Over his high school career, he amassed 6,997 passing yards, 8,344 total offensive yards, and 98 total touchdowns. Despite his high school production, he was unranked by recruiting services. Jones initially committed to play college football at Princeton University before opting to join Duke University as a walk-on. He graduated from Duke in December 2018 with a degree in economics.

After redshirting during his freshman year at Duke in 2015, Jones stepped into the starting quarterback role as a sophomore in 2016 following a season-ending injury to Thomas Sirk. He started all 12 games that season, completing 270 of 430 passes for 2,836 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, earning Duke's Carmen Falcone Most Valuable Player Award.

Over the next two seasons, Jones served as a team captain and established himself as one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's top dual-threat quarterbacks. In 2017, he threw for 2,439 yards and 14 touchdowns while leading Duke to a Quick Lane Bowl victory over Northern Illinois, where he took MVP honors. As a senior in 2018, Jones passed for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns, concluding his collegiate career with a 56-27 Independence Bowl win over Temple in which he threw for 423 yards and five touchdowns to win another bowl MVP award. He capped his amateur career by winning MVP at the 2019 Senior Bowl.

The New York Giants selected Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Initially named the backup to Eli Manning, Jones took over as the starting quarterback in Week 3 of the 2019 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his first career start, he overcame an 18-point deficit, throwing two touchdown passes and scoring two rushing touchdowns in a 32-31 victory. In Week 16 against Washington, Jones threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, setting a single-game rookie record. He concluded his rookie campaign with 3,027 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns.

Jones served as a team captain over the subsequent seasons in New York. During a 2020 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded an 80-yard run that marked the longest rush by a quarterback in franchise history. In 2022, Jones experienced a career season under head coach Brian Daboll, throwing for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns while setting a Giants franchise quarterback record with 708 rushing yards. He led the Giants to their first playoff berth since 2016, then made NFL history during a 31-24 Wild Card win against the Minnesota Vikings by recording over 300 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 70 rushing yards.

Injuries disrupted Jones's subsequent campaigns, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the 2023 season. After starting ten games in 2024, the Giants demoted Jones to third-string quarterback behind Tommy DeVito during their bye week, leading to his release in November 2024.

Following his release from the Giants, Jones signed with the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad in late November 2024. He was elevated to the active roster in January 2025 and served as an emergency backup quarterback during Minnesota's postseason run.

In March 2025, Jones joined the Indianapolis Colts. After winning a training camp quarterback competition against Anthony Richardson, he was named the starter for the 2025 season. Jones guided the Colts to an opening 3-0 record, during which the team scored on its first 10 offensive possessions of the year. His early-season performances inspired fans and commentators to adopt the nickname Indiana Jones. Jones started 13 games for Indianapolis before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles tendon against the Jacksonville Jaguars in December 2025, finishing the season with 3,101 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and a 100.2 passer rating.