Daniel Jones Opens Up After The Indianapolis Colts Trade Away His Top Targets As Their Losing Streak Continues

Daniel Jones admits he's "not happy" as Indianapolis Colts trade away Keenan Allen, Josh Downs and more.© Image via: X/@NFL

Daniel Jones has spent seven seasons learning how to answer hard questions without raising his voice. Wednesday tested that habit. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback faced reporters three days after a 27-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, with his general manager fired, his All-Pro guard gone and two receivers traded away by a Tuesday 4 p.m. deadline. He did not rage. He did not dodge, either. What he said was short and plain, and it carried weight. The Colts sit at 2-7 with five straight losses behind them, and the Miami Dolphins arrive on Sunday.

Daniel Jones Breaks His Silence On The Indianapolis Colts Roster Teardown

It began on October 27, eight days after the team fired general manager Chris Ballard. Guard Quenton Nelson went to the Seattle Seahawks. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner went to the San Francisco 49ers.

The rest left in a rush on Tuesday, some of it minutes before the cutoff. Josh Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick headed to the Kansas City Chiefs for 2027 fourth- and fifth-round picks. Keenan Allen joined the 49ers for a 2027 sixth-rounder. That is a lot of experience traded for late-round paper.

Jones never pointed at the front office. He also never pretended to be fine.

Daniel Jones will not be traded, via @TomPelissero https://t.co/7AIIMMXRU6

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 9, 2026

“You're not happy to see it,” said the 29-year-old quarterback. “You're a player and you're going out there competing and doing everything you can to win games, so you're not happy to see a lot of those decisions. But like I said, it's outside of our control, and our job is to play, and be prepared and play well.”

Jonathan Taylor Carries The Indianapolis Colts Offense Without Keenan Allen And Josh Downs

Jonathan Taylor stayed, and not for lack of suitors. ESPN reported that the Colts wanted a first-round pick or close to it. The New York Giants offered a second- and fifth-rounder, then withdrew. Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported that multiple teams offered a second-round pick and more, and that Indianapolis told every caller Jones was not available.

Read that again. The Colts shopped the running back, protected the quarterback, and still left him with fewer targets.

Taylor has 656 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Laquon Treadwell leads the receivers with 16 catches for 215 yards, with Deion Burks and Ashton Dulin behind him while Alec Pierce recovers from a heel injury. Jones has 1,722 passing yards on 60.3 percent accuracy, plus six touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Those last two numbers do not sit comfortably together.

Head coach Shane Steichen gave his own review on Monday.

“It'll be great to get the trade deadline over,” Steichen said.

Eight games remain. The search for Ballard's replacement is still open.