Key Highlights
- McCarthy, and there's mutual respect between Jones and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell."As GM Chris Ballard said at the NFL combine, the Colts do not want to use the franchise or transition tag if they don't have to.
- However, if a new deal can't be reached soon, Ballard may have no other choice. The deadline to apply one of those tags is March 3rd at 4:00 PM ET. Several insiders are reporting that the Colts will use the transition tag instead of the franchise tag if a deal cannot be reached.
- The transition tag would allow Jones to still test the market and negotiate deals with other teams.
- However, the Colts would get the opportunity to match any offers Jones gets, providing them with some insurance. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs Jonathan Jones points out, there is a calculated risk that comes with using this tag, not exactly knowing what kind of offers Jones may get elsewhere. In what is expected to be a now-or-never season for Ballard, he's in no position to let this deal slip away, and Jones and his agent likely know that, as they look to maximize his earning potential this offseason, which is why negotiations seem to be coming down to the wire. This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Vikings 'closely monitoring' Colts and Daniel Jones contract talks.