Most fans and analysts balked at the Indianapolis Colts' decision to sign quarterback Daniel Jones this past offseason. At the time, the move appeared to be a stopgap measure to help former first-round pick Anthony Richardson, who had struggled for form and fitness in his first two seasons in the league, find his footing again.Now, five weeks into the 2025 NFL season, Jones' story has taken a different turn. The Colts are off to one of their best starts in two decades this season, and a large part of that success can be attributed to their new starting quarterback.Jones's leadership and efficiency have helped the Colts build one of the most potent offenses in the NFL through the first few weeks, which has also successfully thrust the quarterback into the center of the NFL MVP debate.According to sports media personality Skip Bayless, who had a sit-down with former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib on "The Arena" show on Thursday, if it weren't for the memory of Jones' dismal tenure with the New York Giants, he would currently be the clear favorite to win the MVP award."The truth is Daniel Jones should be the MVP leader but he's a victim of his New York reputation," Bayless said. "It's as simple as that." "When I look at what Daniel Jones does, it is complementary football but I can make the case that Jonathan Taylor wouldn't be leading the league without Daniel Jones just picking teams to pieces.”Talib believes that Jonathan Taylor, Jones' teammate, is the "main man" in Indianapolis' offense, but Bayless thinks that opinion would be different if Jones had not earlier failed while he was with the Giants.Jones has been integral to the Colts' 4-1 start to the season. He has completed an incredible 71.3% of his throws for 1,290 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions in just five games. In addition, he has scored three touchdowns on the ground and rushed for 56 yards.The 28-year-old quarterback played his first five and a half seasons with the Giants after being selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. In 75 games in New York as a starter, Jones had a 28-45-1 record, completing 64.6% of his throws for 15,872 yards, 76 touchdowns and 49 interceptions.Jones joined the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13 of the 2024 season after being cut by the Giants in Week 12. He signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the Colts ahead of the 2025 season.Daniel Jones admits his game has changed since leaving the GiantsDaniel Jones had been a member of the New York Giants for five years before getting cut during the 2024 season. Since then, he has spent time with the Minnesota Vikings and now helped the Indianapolis Colts go 4-1 to kick-start their new season.In an interview with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth on the "Fitz and Whit" Podcast on Thursday, Jones recently discussed how his game preparation has changed since he departed from the Giants.“I always thought I worked really hard, I tried to work really hard and it was important for me to prepare, watch film, study,” Jones said. “And I think I did that. But then going to Minnesota, I saw how Sam Darnold prepared, how Kevin O'Connell prepared those guys, Josh McCown, Grant Udinski — that crew.”“That made a big impression on me and I was like, okay, this is maybe the next level of some of that stuff.”Although Jones didn't start any games during his brief stay with the Vikings, he believes his time there was crucial to his growth.