Tom Brady Uses Cross-Sport Comparison for Jayden Daniels

Jayden Daniels (5) of the Washington Commanders celebrates with Terry McLaurin (17) after defeating the Detroit Lions 45-31 in the NFC Divisional Playoff at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., on Jan. 18, 2025. Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Rookies like Jayden Daniels are simply not expected to be where Daniels is currently—one win from appearing in the Super Bowl.

Just five rookie quarterbacks in NFL history have made it to Conference Championship Weekend prior to Daniels doing so this season; and his poise plus ability to thrive under high-intense and pressure-filled situations is a big reason why.

Tom Brady knows a thing or two about excelling in high-pressure situations, and that started with him infamously leading a game-winning drive in his first Super Bowl appearance as a 24-year-old.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner noted seeing the poise that Daniels has displayed in another athlete but not one who made his living on the gridiron. Brady compares Daniels to 15-time major winner Tiger Woods, and the former brought up Woods’s breakout tournament when discussing Daniels’s performance.

“So, even though Jayden Daniels is just a rookie, he has that poise and confidence. Imagine, I guess another correlation, look at a young Tiger Woods,” Brady said on his Let’s Go podcast. “He had never proven on the big stage that he was ready for those big moments in the Masters in ‘97, but he had proved that to himself in all those junior amateurs that he won, that he didn’t care who he was playing. It was him versus him.

“When you’re a great competitor, you don’t care your age, you don’t care where you’re going. You just care about your inner belief in yourself. He has that.”

Like Daniels, who was the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner at LSU, Woods also had a stellar amateur career that included three U.S. Junior Amateur championships, three U.S. Amateur championships, and an NCAA championship. However, skeptics overlooked both of their prior accomplishments when they turned pro as they were now competing against the best of the best as opposed to those who may not even have professional futures within the sports.

Woods would win the 1997 Masters in record fashion and was 12 strokes better than the runner-up. Daniels doesn’t yet have anything from his pro career akin to that, but he certainly could if he leads Washington to a Super Bowl. Even making the Super Bowl would be historic in itself as he would become the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to The Big Game.

While five rookie QBs have previously guided their teams to the Conference Championship, those five all have something in common that Daniels doesn’t, and that only makes the Commanders’ quarterback’s run even more impressive. The five previous rookie QBs in the Title Game—Brock Purdy (2022), Mark Sanchez (2009), Joe Flacco (2008), Ben Roethlisberger (2004), and Shaun King (1999)—all played on teams with top-three scoring defenses. Washington isn’t in the top three, or the top 17, as it ranks just 18th in points allowed this season. So, while many of the previous rookies were simply game managers, much more of Washington’s success falls on Daniels’s shoulders.

The No. 2 overall pick has already racked up 14 wins this season, counting both the regular season and playoffs, and no rookie quarterback has ever won more games in a season. His play through two postseason games has been nothing short of brilliant as he has 567 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 87 rushing yards, and, most importantly, zero turnovers. You also can’t forget that both of the playoff victories he’s authored—versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions—came on the road, with Washington underdogs in each.

Brady got a first-hand look at Daniels’s most recent game in which Washington knocked off Detroit, 45-31, in the Divisional Round as Brady was on the call for the game. Afterward, he interviewed Daniels and asked him what enabled him to be so calm and confident as a rookie.

“I think it’s the whole offensive staff. They do a great job of putting what they know I can handle on my plate, which I feel like is a lot, and they feel like that too,” replied Daniels. “I just prepare. I prepare the right way. I don’t cheat the game. You’ve got to put in the work to get the product out on Sundays. So, I just thank my coaching staff.”

Woods had a great staff helping prepare him for the 1997 Masters, including his father, Earl, and swing coach, Butch Harmon. Brady also had a great support system in New England with head coach, Bill Belichick, and a first-class organization.

Now, it appears that Daniels has that same type of staff behind him which has enabled him to be on the verge of history and one win away from becoming the first rookie quarterback in Super Bowl history.