Category: LSU in NFL

Photos of Malik Nabers’ 1st appearance with New York Giants at rookie minicamp

Malik Nabers took the field with the Giants rookies for the first time.

The second receiver off the board in the 2024 NFL draft made his first appearance with his new team this weekend.

We got our first look at [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] in a New York Giants uniform at rookie minicamp after the team took him with the sixth overall pick in the draft. Nabers joins an offense desperate for skill-position talent as the team enters a critical year for veteran quarterback Daniel Jones.

Nabers, who became LSU’s all-time leading receiver in his final game in 2023, could provide the spark this Giants offense needs to get to the next level.

Here are the best photos from his debut at the team’s rookie minicamp.

Photos of Jayden Daniels from Commanders rookie minicamp

Jayden Daniels made his first appearance in a Commanders uniform this weekend.

We got our first look at [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] in a Washington Commanders uniform this weekend.

Daniels and Washington’s other first-year players took the field as part of the team’s rookie minicamp. The second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the former LSU signal caller will be competing for the starting job as a rookie along with veteran Marcus Mariota.

The Heisman winner in 2023, Daniels comes in with quite a bit of hype after he was also the second quarterback selected in the draft. He joins an offense that features skill-position talent like Austin Ekeler, Brian Robinson, Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.

Here are the best photos from Daniels’ first appearance with the Commanders.

Jayden Daniels excited to work with new OC Kliff Kingsbury in Washington

It’s hard not to be intrigued by the pairing of Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury.

When the Washington Commanders selected [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] with the second pick in the 2024 NFL draft, many were salivating at the prospect of the 2023 Heisman winner teaming up with Kliff Kingsbury, who was recently hired as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Kingsbury — previously a head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and at Texas Tech — spent the 2023 season as an offensive analyst at USC, but he’s back in the NFL this season.

And while he won’t be exactly importing his air raid offense to DC, Daniels recently said he’s excited about the prospect of working with Kingsbury, adding that his scheme is a good fit.

“It’s different from the air raid,” Daniels said, per On3’s Matthew Brune. We’re not going to throw the ball 50 times per game. Kliff is open minded. Having conversations with him about what I like and how we can make the offense better. I like his scheme, honestly. It suits me and we have to evolve with the times and keep a balance on offense with those athletes out there.”

Daniels was at his best at LSU when he was able to open things up with the offense spread out wide, and Kingsbury’s system in Washington should allow him to do more of the same at the next level.

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Jayden Daniels explains how culture at LSU prepared him for the NFL

Jayden Daniels said his time at LSU taught him a professional mindset.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] showed flashes of promise during his first three seasons of college football at Arizona State. But it wasn’t until the signal-caller arrived at LSU ahead of the 2022 season that things really took off for him.

After a solid first year with the team, he became arguably the best player in the entire country during his final season in 2023. He won the Heisman Trophy and ultimately became the second pick in the draft for the Washington Commanders.

Daniels credited the culture at LSU for helping prepare him for the next level.

“It was just different,” he said of LSU, per On3’s Matthew Brune. “The football aspect, the resources you had and everyday life is nothing but football out there. They live, breathe and sleep football at LSU, so you have to get accustomed to that. If you don’t love football they’re going to run you out of that stadium real fast. The guys you hang with are from the south so football is all they know and is their way of getting out of whatever circumstances they were in. Every day in practice we’re going back and forth, we’re competing and it just brings that competitive edge out of you. I always had it in me, but being down there you walk around like ‘I have that dog in me’ and if I make a play I’m going to let you know about it.”

Daniels added that the players at LSU have a professional mindset, something that was a bit of a difference coming from the West Coast.

“How it was out there was how it is in the pros where everyone is trying to feed their families,” he said. “For me, I learned how to deal with different personalities at LSU. I watched [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] eat and he has a personality on him. We’re chill out here (on the West Coast), but out there they’re not. It’s just learning how to deal with everybody.”

Now in the NFL, Daniels will hope those lessons prove to be beneficial as he looks to lead Washington to its first playoff win since 2005.

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Malik Nabers says $10,000 Rookie of the Year bet with Jayden Daniels has been called off

Unfortunately, the $10,000 Rookie of the Year bet has been canceled.

Former LSU teammates [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] had quite the connection in college, but now at the next level, the pair of top-10 picks will be division rivals.

Daniels went second overall to the Washington Commanders while Nabers was taken a few picks later at No. 6 by the New York Giants, and they were attempting to put some stakes on their rookie seasons.

They recently revealed they made a Rookie of the Year bet prior to the draft, with the winner earning $10,000. However, Nabers — who officially signed his rookie deal with the Giants — said on Friday that the bet is now off.

It’s unclear if the decision came down from the NFL with the legality of that bet within the rules being a bit iffy or if the players simply decided against it. Either way, it will take just a bit of intrigue away from the two matchups between them this season.

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Giants sign former LSU WR Malik Nabers to rookie deal

Former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers makes rookie deal official. Here’s what he’ll earn from his first contract.

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] on his rookie deal. The former LSU wide receiver was inked to the four-year plus a fifth-year option deal that is standard for first-round picks.

Nabers was the No. 6 overall pick in last month’s NFL draft and the deal will include $29.2 million fully guaranteed along with an $18 million signing bonus. The deal is in line with the expected value for Nabers’ draft slot.

The Giants are hoping Nabers can bring an instant spark to an offense that’s struggled in recent years. Nabers was the nation’s most explosive receiver in 2023, leading college football in 20+ yard catches and posting his second straight 1,000-yard season.

He was one of three players from LSU’s prolific offenses to be selected in the first round after QB [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] went second overall to the Commanders and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] went to the Jaguars at No. 23.

Nabers discussed the deal with the New York Media, saying he got emotional.

“When I put my name on that paper, I was shaking a little bit,” Nabers said.

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Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers make $10,000 Rookie of the Year bet

Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers have put some stakes on their rookies seasons.

Two of the three LSU first-round draft picks have decided to make a bet with each other. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] made a bet prior to the NFL Draft over winning NFL Rookie of the Year. If Daniels wins Rookie of the Year, he will win $10,000 and vice versa for Nabers.

They made the bet before the NFL draft even occurred so while they may have had an idea of where they were going to go, they were not certain. Daniels finds himself as a member of the Washington Commanders. He has a chance to make some plays and win Rookie of the Year with the talent that surrounds him.

For Nabers, he was drafted by the New York Giants. He is going to depend on Daniel Jones to feed him on the outside. If I was making odds for this wager, my guess is that Daniels would be a heavy favorite.

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Jayden Daniels not worried about starting for Commanders in Week 1

Jayden Daniels said he isn’t focused on whether he’s the Day 1 starter in Washington.

When the Washington Commanders drafted former LSU quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, they didn’t do so to have him sit on the bench.

It isn’t always ideal for a quarterback to start immediately as a rookie, but with a quarterback room that currently features Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel, Washington likely won’t have that luxury.

It’s not something Daniels is stressing about, however. He said he’s focused on learning the system and that he’s been told he won’t be forced to play until he’s ready to go.

“Do I anticipate (starting Week 1)? I mean, I’m confident in my abilities, but that’s a decision that they’ve got to make,” Daniels said, told Keyshawn Johnson in a recent interview. “That’s above me. From what I heard, they said whenever I’m ready, I’m ready. So whenever I feel like I’m ready, I’m ready.

“They didn’t tell me, ‘Oh, you’ve got to start Week 1.’ They just said, ‘Whenever you’re ready, you’re ready. Whenever you feel ready, we feel you’re ready, we’re gonna throw you out there.'”

It’s hard to believe Daniels won’t get the nod for the Commanders in the season opener, but it’s clear that’s not an emphasis for him.

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LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Brian Thomas Jr. in ideal situations to succeed in the NFL

The pair of former Tigers could be poised to find immediate success at the next level.

LSU had three players selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft last month.

One of those players — receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] — enters a situation with some uncertainty as it could be the last year with quarterback Daniel Jones leading the New York Giants. However, quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who was drafted by the Washington Commanders at pick No. 2, and fellow receiver [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who went to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 23, seem to be in much better situations.

Daniels joins a young core in Washington with an intriguing offensive coordinator pairing in Kliff Kingsbury, while Thomas joins one of the league’s better young quarterbacks in Trevor Lawrence.

NFL.com’s Marc Ross listed both among the 10 rookies in the best situations to succeed immediately. Here’s what he said about Daniels in Washington.

Washington’s new regime — led by general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn — worked for months in preparation of drafting a quarterback. The Commanders signed veterans along the offensive line (Nick Allegretti and Tyler Biadasz), while also adding tight end Zach Ertz and running back Austin Ekeler to fortify the pass-catching options that already included Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. Then they drafted more offensive talent to flank Daniels. My hat is off to Peters for making such a concerted effort to upgrade the foundation around the team’s new franchise quarterback. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is in a good position to succeed early in his career.

Here’s Ross’ breakdown of Thomas’ fit with a Jaguars team that desperately needed receiver help.

Despite losing Calvin Ridley in free agency, the Jaguars still made a concerted effort this offseason to surround Trevor Lawrence with more talent, signing Gabe Davis to a three-year deal and drafting Thomas in the first round of the draft. Alongside Davis and Christian Kirk, the LSU product should begin as a WR2 or WR3, with plenty of upside to develop and grow within the offense throughout the season. With his playmaking ability, speed and natural talent, Thomas should elevate into a bigger role before too long.

There are always going to be learning curves as a rookie in the NFL, but it seems the pair of former LSU stars could find early success in friendly situations at the next level.

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Watch Joe Burrow return to practice field with Bengals after season-ending injury in 2023

Joe Burrow made his long-awaited return to the practice field after undergoing season-ending surgery in 2023.

Former LSU and current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] made his long-awaited return to the field on Monday.

Burrow’s 2023 season with the Bengals was almost entirely a wash due to injuries. He injured his calf during training camp and began the season limited, and he ultimately appeared in just 10 games before a torn ligament in his wrist ended his campaign.

For the first time since undergoing season-ending surgery, Burrow was spotted throwing a ball as he participated in Monday’s rookie minicamp practice.

While it’s hard to gauge Burrow’s status considering he’s not wearing pads or a helmet, nor is he in a game situation. But there’s no denying the release looks good for the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick.

Burrow enters the 2024 season with big-time expectations after signing a five-year, $275 million contract extension before the start of last season that made him the league’s highest-paid player at the time.

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