Tag: Jayden Daniels

X reacts to Eagles beatdown of Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX

X reacts to Eagles’ win over Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX from a Commanders’ perspective.

For Washington Commanders fans, watching this year’s Super Bowl felt slightly different. After winning 12 games and two playoff games, the Commanders were one game short of appearing in their first Super Bowl in 33 years.

Unfortunately for Washington, it ran into the Philadelphia Eagles. Turnovers plagued the Commanders in their third matchup against the Eagles, allowing Philly to come away with a blowout win. That led to a rematch in Super Bowl LIX between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles and Chiefs met two years ago, with Kansas City coming away with a 38-35 win.

Sunday’s rematch proved to be a far different result, though, with the Eagles steamrolling the Chiefs 40-22 for their second Super Bowl championship in franchise history.

The game was never competitive, with Philadelphia owning a 24-0 halftime lead. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes struggled, throwing two first-half interceptions. While Mahomes finished the game with three touchdown passes, his final numbers were deceptive as he didn’t lead the Chiefs to their first score until they were already down 34-0.

Washington fans were not rooting for the Eagles. But many Commanders’ fans couldn’t help but wonder, “What could have been.” Could Washington have beaten Kansas City?

One thing was clear: the Commanders’ offense looked much better against Philly’s vaunted defense. Even with 10 turnovers in their three meetings against the Eagles, Jayden Daniels and the Commanders averaged 26 points per game against Philadelphia.

We took to X after the Eagles’ victory to see how some viewed this game from a Commanders’ perspective.

 

Hall of Fame QB is a big fan of Jayden Daniels, but cautions everyone to remain patient

Hall of Fame QB believes Jayden Daniels is already a star, but hopes everyone remains patient with him.

Jayden Daniels took the NFL by storm in 2024. The Washington Commanders’ rookie quarterback broke numerous records and led his team to its best season in 33 years, two road playoff wins and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The future is bright for Daniels and the Commanders. But critics will tell you to be careful in expecting Daniels to repeat his 2024 success, often pointing to Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud led the Texans from worst to first in 2023, breaking numerous rookie quarterback records before struggling at times in 2024.

Ultimately, Stroud settled down to have a solid second season, but some were disappointed that he didn’t take a more significant step forward in 2024.

Kurt Warner can say he’s lived in Daniels and Stroud’s shoes. The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback was thrust into a starting role in 1999 after Trent Green’s injury and would lead the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl as a first-year starter.

A two-time MVP winner, Warner enjoyed a 12-year career before retiring, but things weren’t always as easy as they were in his first year as a starter.

Last week, in town for Super Bowl LIX, Warner joined Grant Paulsen of the “Grant and Danny” show on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., where he discussed Daniels.

“He’s a really good player. I know sometimes we get caught up in rookies aren’t supposed to be successful, but I can go back to ’99 when I felt I was a good player and so I played well, and that’s what I think about Jayden Daniels,” Warner said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “You watched him last year win the Heisman, and coming out, you knew that if everything you saw on tape translated to the NFL, this kid’s gonna be a phenomenal player because he can do everything really, really well. And I think that’s what we saw this year.”

Warner was most impressed by Daniels’ poise and how nothing ever rattled him.

Warner already believes Daniels is a big-time NFL quarterback. However, he believes some should tone down their expectations for Daniels. Not because he thinks Daniels can’t exceed them but because if Daniels takes even a small step back in 2024, it will be held against him because of the bar he set in 2024.

“Jayden’s gonna put in the work, and sometimes, you have off games or off seasons, but you don’t go into things thinking, he’s gonna have a sophomore slump, or, he’s got to be better than he was this year,” Warner said.

“To me, it’s always about letting it play its course. I’m always a believer of give me three years of seeing a guy, because there’s going to be ebbs and flows, but then I can tell you who I believe he is as a quarterback. So I think the hard thing is having a year like this is you guys are going to come back and go, if he doesn’t do better than this, then what’s wrong? But if he just drops a little bit from what he did this year, it’s still gonna be a phenomenal season for him, so we have to put things in perspective. You’ve got a really good quarterback who I believe is going to be good for a long time, let him show us who he is over a few years and let it play out – I think you’re going to see that Jayden Daniels is going to be a solid NFL starter for a long time.”

This is very good advice from Warner. He had a phenomenal start to his career before crashing down to earth a few years later. Warner recovered and was still playing at a high level when he retired after the 2009 season.

These days, there is always a hurry to anoint or crown someone immediately. That happens in football, other sports, or even the workplace. Daniels doesn’t need to put up better statistics in 2025 to prove his rookie wasn’t a fluke. He understands what needs to be done to take the next step, and there’s no reason to doubt next season will be just as big for Daniels.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels shares appreciation for team’s fans

Jayden Daniels shares his appreciation for Washington fans.

Jayden Daniels is already one of the NFL’s most popular players. The Washington Commanders quarterback broke numerous team, rookie and NFL records in 2024 on his way to being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Daniels’ jersey was a big seller, too. He led all NFL players in jersey sales, and his No. 5 jersey was also a big seller internationally, as well.

With his success as a rookie, Daniels not only brought back previous Washington fans but also helped create new ones. Games at Northwest Stadium often featured more of the opposing team’s fans than Washington’s. That began to change in 2024, with many Commanders’ fans donning Daniels’ popular No. 5 jersey.

More than once, Daniels shared his appreciation for Washington fans. During Super Bowl week in New Orleans, Daniels spoke with Kevin Clark of the “This is Football” podcast, where the star rookie again shared his love for the franchise’s fan base.

“The fanbase,” Daniels said when Clark asked him what his favorite thing about the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) had been since arriving there last spring.

“I love riding to a game and seeing everybody tailgating, all the flags and everything; they are very passionate.”

When the Commanders lost to the Eagles in the NFC championship game, several Washington fans were waiting at the airport in the early morning to greet the team. Daniels stopped, signed autographs, and took pictures with every fan there.

Commanders fans can finally say, “We’ve got our quarterback.”

Commanders’ Jayden Daniels nails quarterback silhouette challenge

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels proves he watches film when he nails the quarterback silhouette challenge.

When the Washington Commanders drafted Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Chicago Bears fans became arrogant because they selected Caleb Williams. As the season progressed, it became increasingly clear that the Commanders had the right guy under center.

Not only did Daniels break records and set new ones, but he transformed an entire franchise, with the help of Adam Peters and Dan Quinn, of course. Daniels’ talent is evident every time he’s on the field, but what you might not know about him is how much he studies the game of football.

Daniels proved just how much film he watches when he participated in the quarterback silhouette challenge in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl XLVII.

In the game, Daniels is shown a black-and-white video of a quarterback through some part of his progression. In some cases it’s a drop-back, in others it’s a scramble, and Daniels’ job is to guess who the quarterback is from just this image.

Daniels got every single video correct. Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Aaron Rodgers, and he gives a distinguishing characteristic of each player indicating how he knew who it was.

Jayden Daniels is going to have a long and illustrious career in the NFL. Not just because he’s a talented player who can get the job done, but because he studies the game, learns from it, adapts his own game and decision-making to what is happening, and he is incredibly humble about all of it.

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Commanders make surprising pick new CBS mock draft

Commanders add help for Jayden Daniels in this new mock draft.

The Washington Commanders picked second overall in last year’s 2024 NFL draft. One year later, last season’s No. 2 pick, quarterback Jayden Daniels, led the Commanders to 12 wins, two playoff victories and an appearance in the NFC championship game.

While the Commanders ultimately fell short of the Super Bowl, Washington’s future has never been brighter. That success comes with consequences. Due to their appearance in the NFC championship game, the Commanders will pick 29th overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

While that’s not ideal, general manager Adam Peters hopes he’ll pick at the bottom of the first round for many years to come.

Now that Super Bowl weekend is upon us, the NFL’s focus will soon turn to the combine. From there, it will be free agency and the draft.

That means mock drafts. In a new mock draft for CBS Sports, Tom Fornelli has the Commanders adding help at wide receiver, choosing Matthew Golden of Texas.

We know who the quarterback will be here for a long time; now the job is surrounding him with what he needs. Perhaps that’s an offensive lineman, or perhaps it’s another weapon in the passing game. Terry McLaurin is criminally underrated across the league, but the Commanders could use upgrades behind him. Golden’s stock skyrocketed during Texas’ playoff run as Isaiah Bond dealt with injuries. A lot of the things Golden was asked to do in Texas’ offense translate to what the Commanders do in theirs.

Golden played his first two seasons at Houston before spending his final collegiate season at Texas, where he caught 58 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. Golden would be an ideal complement opposite Terry McLaurin. Golden’s elite speed often overshadows the other things he does well, too. He can line up at any receiver spot and produce.

What’s interesting is that CBS has Golden as its 74th overall player but predicts he will go in the first round. Draft analysts expect Golden to really shine at the NFL combine later this month.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid released his top 50 prospects for the 2025 NFL draft and has Golden at No. 25.

Analyst reveals why he didn’t vote for Jayden Daniels as Offensive Rookie of the Year

One person didn’t vote for Jayden Daniels. He explained why.

It was apparent early in the 2024 season that Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was the frontrunner for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Daniels never let up. Instead, he improved throughout his rookie season, saving his best for the playoffs. He led the Commanders to road wins over the Buccaneers and top-seeded Lions. While Washington ultimately fell short against the Eagles in the NFC championship, the future is brighter than ever.

Daniels won the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week award a record-breaking 11 times this season. This week, he was named Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Year, which he followed up with the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Daniels received 49 out of 50 votes, with the only other vote for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. It was surprising that Daniels wasn’t the unanimous winner. After every voter’s ballot was revealed, we learned that former PFF analyst Sam Monson didn’t vote for Daniels.

He explained why he voted for Bowers on X:

While you can strongly disagree with Monson, he made a valid point. But while Bowers had a historic rookie campaign, Daniels helped turn around a moribund franchise. When voting for these awards, you must consider everything.

On Friday, Monson joined “Grant and Danny” of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., and further explained his reasoning.

“You don’t love it. I have a pretty good idea of what my mentions are going to look like for the next couple of days,” Monson said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy.

“To me, they were extremely close, and I think either one of them wins in another season. I knew I’d be in a minority, but I was surprised I was the minority of one. Even the guys from the AP don’t know if there’s been a unanimous winner, but ultimately, 49 concurred on this one.”

Again, you can disagree with Monson, but attacking him on social media is not the answer. It never is. Monson should be commended for not hiding behind his vote.

“It’s a regular-season award, so the playoffs that enhanced his candidacy didn’t matter, because the deadline is the day after the end of the regular season,” Monson continued. “That would’ve pushed Daniels above Bowers, but you’re talking about two guys who had incredible rookie years, and Bowers had a better season than the benchmark for a rookie tight end. QB is the hardest position to play, but tight end is not an easy position to hit the ground running, either. He was breaking not just tight end records, but rookie receiving records.”

Bowers, Bo Nix, Brian Thomas Jr., and Malik Nabers all had strong cases for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. It was an incredible rookie class. Ultimately, though, the voters got this one right.

Logan Paulsen grades Commanders 2024 draft class

The former Washington TE analyzes each of the Commanders’ rookies.

Logan Paulsen is always a good listen, and he did not disappoint grading the Commanders’ rookie class.

Paulsen and Craig Hoffman broke down the 2024 class in an episode of their “Take Command” podcast this week.

For now, Commanders Wire will provide selected summary statements by Paulsen. Here is the episode in full. 

  • Jayden Daniels (Rd 1, 2)   “The number one thing for me was his consistency…The amount of work each week to get back to that pinnacle…for him to come back each and every week and trust the process was impressive.”
  • Jer’Zhan Newton (Rd 2, 36)  “At times he was physically outmatched…I am excited to see him in year two with a full offseason…I do think you see the work ethic, the physical play.”
  • Mike Sainristil (Rd 2, 50)  “What Sainristil did this year can’t be overstated…The flexibility he brought to the defense…he embodies what it means to be a Commander…he’s a special football player.”
  • Ben Sinnott (Rd 2, 53) “You see the athlete, the physicality, the want-to…he is not the underneath route running winner that Zach Ertz is…at times he had a lack of awareness in the run game.”
  • Brandon Coleman (Rd 3, 67)  “He probably exceeded expectations playing tackle…he has moved from guard to tackle at TCU…he’s a good athlete…He is for sure a starting NFL offensive lineman.”
  • Luke McCaffrey (Rd 3, 100)  “He is not yet a great separator; only played receiver two years previously…he competes, he’s tough…he’s a bigger body guy…what is his role next year?”
  • Jordan Magee (Rd 5, 139)  “He’s got that competitive dog…was injured in preseason then again in season…I’m excited for him to get healthy and play…
  • Dominique Hampton (Rd 5, 161)  “was learning a new position, being converted from safety down to linebacker…might not ever play in the NFL..
  • Javontae Jean-Baptiste (Rd 7, 222)  “like his length, play strength…for a 7th round pick to be in the mix for playing time next year that is a good thing…he’s a nice find (at 222).
  • Tyler Owens (UFA) “A special teams maniac…that may be how he makes his NFL money”
  • Colson Yankoff (UFA) “Another maniac, fast, big, strong…really covered kicks well… Yankoff and Owens have roles for next year”

 

 

Commanders’ Jayden Daniels reveals his offseason plans

Jayden Daniels already focused on next season.

If you expected Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to relax after a record-breaking rookie season, then think again. After leading Washington to its best season in 33 years, winning two playoff games and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Daniels is already thinking about next year.

One of the knocks on Daniels coming out of LSU was his size, specifically his frame. While he’s 6-foot-4, Daniels is thin and sometimes runs recklessly. It led him to take some unnecessary hits in college.

During his rookie season, Daniels remained healthy outside of a Week 7 rib injury. While he never missed any games, he was banged up for a few weeks, which just happened to be Washington’s most challenging stretch of the 2024 season.

In a conversation with Kevin Clark of “This is Football,” Daniels discussed his offseason plans.

“I haven’t really sat down and thought about that yet,” Daniels said when asked if there was a specific area where he wanted to improve.

“I got a couple of things that my quarterback coach probably has written up and stuff like that. The main thing I’ll say this offseason is bulking up a little bit more, putting on some more armor, having a full offseason now. The first offseason as a pro.”

That’s music to the ears of every Washington fan. Daniels is built different. Remember the 2021 offseason when defensive end Chase Young thought he arrived after winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year? Young was prematurely named a captain and proceeded to skip offseason workouts and shoot commercials.

His relationship with the organization was never the same again. Nor was his career.

There’s no worry about that with Daniels. He just completed arguably the most outstanding rookie season in NFL history and is already thinking about how to improve in 2025, less than two weeks after his rookie year ended.

Jayden Daniels and Commanders will host Bo Nix’s Broncos in 2025

A must-watch QB showdown: Jayden Daniels and the Commanders will host Bo Nix and the Broncos in 2025.

Two years after they shared a stage at the 2023 Heisman Trophy ceremony, quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix are set to face off on the field during the 2025 NFL season.

Daniels won the Heisman Trophy with 2,029 total points following the 2023 college football season. Nix (885 points) finished third in the voting behind Michael Penix (1,701 points) and Daniels.

Penix sat behind Kirk Cousins for most of his rookie year before starting the Atlanta Falcons’ final three games down the stretch. Nix had an impressive first year with the Denver Broncos, but it was Daniels who took home Rookie of the Year honors following his remarkable performance with the Washington Commanders in 2024.

Daniels (the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft) and Nix (the No. 12 pick) will always be connected. Next season, they will face off at Northwest Stadium when the Commanders host the Broncos on a to-be-announced date.

Broncos schedule of 2025 opponents

Home Away
Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Chargers
Las Vegas Raiders Las Vegas Raiders
Jacksonville Jaguars Houston Texans
Tennessee Titans Indianapolis Colts
Dallas Cowboys Philadelphia Eagles
New York Giants Washington Commanders
Cincinnati Bengals New York Jets
Green Bay Packers

Denver’s complete 2025 schedule with dates and times will be announced this spring, likely in May. The Daniels-Nix showdown will be one to circle on the calendar.

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Jayden Daniels has a plan to keep Kliff Kingsbury with the Commanders

Jayden Daniels has a plan if others ask him about Kliff Kingsbury.

The Washington Commanders received some good news after their NFC championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles less than two weeks ago: Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will return in 2025.

Multiple teams requested to interview Kingsbury for their head coaching vacancies, but he declined while the Commanders were in the playoffs. After the season, the New Orleans Saints were the only team that had yet to hire a coach, and Kingsbury chose not to interview with them, ensuring he’d be back with Jayden Daniels next season.

Kingsbury wasn’t the only Washington coach to receive interest elsewhere. Assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator Brian Johnson and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard interviewed for other offensive coordinator jobs. In contrast, assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough had requests from three teams, which Washington denied because it wasn’t a potential promotion to OC.

This is excellent news for Daniels, the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Not only did Daniels break records throughout the year, but he also led the Commanders to their best season since 1991, 60 minutes away from the Super Bowl.

He had help, too. Kingsbury’s work with Daniels earned him praise from around the league, and the two developed a close relationship.

It’s inevitable that if Daniels and the Commanders have another terrific season in 2025, Kingsbury will likely receive offers he can’t refuse. Kingsbury is extremely happy in Washington but admitted he’d like to become a head coach again. However, it had to be the right situation.

Daniels has a plan to keep him around.

“It means a lot,” Daniels said when asked what it meant to have Kingsbury back in 2025.

“I always talk highly of Kliff, but if anybody asks me about it, I’ll try to say some bad things so (other teams) don’t hire him, selfishly.”

Daniels was joking, sort of.

“I love Kliff, man,” Daniels said.

The Commanders were one of the NFL’s best offenses, and Daniels helped Kingsbury shed the nonsensical “Kliff Cliff” talk in 2025.