Commanders Rookie Jayden Daniels Breaking Records, Selling Jerseys

Quarterback Jayden Daniels No. 5 of the Washington Commanders reacts following the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sept. 29, 2024. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has taken the NFL by storm and has given new hope to the struggling franchise.

Daniels was selected by Washington with the second overall pick in this year’s draft from LSU to much fanfare. The rookie won the starting job in training camp and has led the Commanders to three wins in four games to start the season and in first place in the NFC East. Washington is looking to make the playoffs for the third time since 2015.

Daniels has been stellar in his four starts and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for September. He completed 87-of-106 for 897 yards with three touchdown passes and one interception. His 82.1 completion rate is the highest percentage through four games in NFL history.

As a dual-threat quarterback, Daniels amassed 218 yards rushing with another four scores. Despite the early success, Daniels knows there is still much room for improvement.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a finished product, but it’s just a start and, I mean, I don’t really look at everything that people talk about,” Daniels said at his weekly press conference on Oct. 2. “I mean, I see it, but other than that, man, none of that matters. That was last week’s stuff. You only as good as the last game you played and everybody going to look at what can you do the week prior and the weeks after that.”

Even though he is a rookie, Daniels is putting up numbers comparable to other veterans around the league. He ranks No. 4 in the NFL with a 107.4 passer rating behind the Vikings’ Sam Darnold (118.9), the Bills’ Josh Allen (116.5), and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield (112.2).

He leads all NFL quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns and is second in rushing yards by a quarterback behind the Ravens Lamar Jackson (308).

He is also becoming one of the most popular players in the NFL. He had the highest-selling jersey on Fanatics over this past week, the company announced on social media.

“Yeah, I mean, thank God to be able to be in that position, be able to impact people’s lives and stuff like that,” Daniels said at an after-practice press conference. “But man, the main thing is keeping the main thing, the main thing, man, that’s football. How can I get better each and every week? Not get caught up in what people are saying or anything because none of that really matters. Because I could be playing good and then playing bad and people would be thinking the opposite. So, it’s staying levelheaded. Go out there and just focus on what’s up, what’s now, and be where my feet are.”

Many NFL scouts are not surprised by Daniels’s success after a stellar career at Arizona State and LSU, where he was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 2023. He threw for 12,749 passing yards and had 3,307 yards rushing in 29 games for the Sun Devils and 26 appearances for the Tigers. He is the only player in the history of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision to pass for 12,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards.

That stellar performance has translated to the NFL, but Daniels stays humble.

“I’m still a rookie in my eyes, so I let everybody else do the talking for me,” he said. “I don’t get caught up in that stuff. But man, it’s just, it’s a blessing. Just the preparation, obviously the team believing in me, and we going out there and competing every Sunday.”