2025 has been a banner year for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, and the mentor of Peyton and Eli Manning, David Cutcliffe, has been a big part of that.
In ESPN's latest story about Jones, they detailed the impact of his college coach at Duke, Cutcliffe, on the star quarterback. They described Cutcliffe's impact as a “stabilizing force through the ups and downs” of Jones' career, especially with the New York Giants.
“I think it's helpful to have someone you really trust, someone who's seen you kind of grow on the field and off the field as a player and knows what you are at your core,” Jones said of Cutcliffe. “And you've got to go back to that.
“A lot of those tougher years in New York, he helped me a ton through that, giving me coaching points and things I needed to work on, but also encouraging me and helping me realize a lot of things that I needed to do to improve and help build confidence. He's been a huge, huge help for me for 10, 11 years now,” he continued.
Luckily, Jones and Cutcliffe's conversations have taken a positive turn in 2025, given his success with the Colts. Cutcliffe would even travel to New York to visit Jones and watch film with him. Jones would feel free to express himself, which Cutcliffe emphasized that he had to do.
By all accounts, Jones seems “happy” with the Colts. It has been relatively smooth sailing for him this season. Cutcliffe similarly had close relationships with Peyton and Eli Manning earlier in their careers.
As ESPN notes, Peyton praised Cutcliffe for telling him “the unvarnished truth” in their conversations. It helped him improve on himself in his career.
Daniel Jones is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL with the Colts.
After nearly six full seasons with the Giants, Jones was released during the 2024 season. He was benched by head coach Brian Daboll, and he subsequently requested his release.
He would briefly join the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad, playing out the string on the team's practice squad in 2024. Then, during the 2025 offseason, Jones took a leap.
Jones joined the Colts and competed for the starting job with Anthony Richardson. He would win the battle, and he is currently third in the NFL in passing yards (2,659) and has 15 passing touchdowns. The Colts are 8-2 and one of the top teams in the AFC.
