Jayden Daniels Not Focusing On Rookie Status, Even As He Makes History

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels told reporters Wednesday that he wasn’t thinking about becoming the first rookie quarterback to make it to the Super Bowl. Instead, he claimed to be taking things “day by day” as he continues to electrify a long-stagnant franchise.

Coming into the 2024 season with naturally tempered expectations, Daniels was instantly effective under center for Washington. Unafraid to challenge defenders on long balls while proving just as dangerous on the ground, he formed immediate connections with the likes of Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz. 

Overcoming several minor injuries, he led Washington to a 12-5 record in the regular season, throwing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushing for 891 and another six scores. He hasn’t stopped there. Having already exceeded every expectation for his rookie year, he has since earned two playoff upsets over the Buccaneers and first-seeded Lions and is now preparing for an NFC Championship game against the Eagles.

At this point in the postseason, Daniels is already in rarefied air. Since 2000, only four other rookie quarterbacks have made it to a conference championship game: Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez and Brock Purdy. Not even the two future Hall-of-Fame candidates on that list made it to the big one on their first try.

The Commanders have another tall task in front of them, as the Eagles generally outplayed them during the regular season when quarterback Jalen Hurts was available. In the second meeting between the teams, Washington earned a wild 36-33 comeback victory over Philadelphia, but Hurts exited that game with an injury in the first quarter.

If Daniels and Washington are eliminated in the NFC Championship, it won’t be a massive disappointment. Coming this far is an astounding accomplishment for the young quarterback, and the window will be wide open for him to take the team even further in future seasons. That being said, it’s imperative not to count the kid out yet. There are 10-year veterans who have never been two games away from a championship. Opportunities don’t always come along at opportune times, and Daniels’ path to superstardom may not lay in some far-off future. It could very well be right in front of him.