At LSU, Jayden Daniels started out like many quarterbacks—talented, but still searching for that breakout moment. Everything changed when he slipped on a VR headset from Cognilize, a German tech company that originally specialized in soccer training before shifting its focus to football. Through their cutting-edge technology, Daniels was able to face off against AI-generated defenses running at 1.75 times real-game speed. The result of that grind? Well, he has now received the ‘Offensive Rookie of the Year award’ for creating havoc in the opposition’s defenses.
Calm under pressure, and dynamic with his legs, he gave Washington a dual-threat weapon that opposing defenses couldn’t ignore. However, a huge part of his success belongs to the team’s star WR Terry McLaurin, as revealed by Cowboys Legend Michael Irvin. The 59-year-old sat down for a chat with Keyshawn Johnson on his ‘All Facts No Brakes’ podcast. The 24-year-old Daniels closed out his rookie campaign with numbers that turned heads across the league. Throughout 17 games, he threw for an impressive 3,568 yards, racked up 25 touchdown passes, and kept his interceptions to just nine. Adding to that, he finished with a stellar passer rating of 100.1. No wonder he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
However, Johnson made a huge statement by labelling him as the best ‘Rookie Quarterback’ in the history of the game. During the podcast, he said, ” The best rookie quarterback in the history of the game. Everybody else had a top-notch defense that I can think of. Very good run games. He kind of spearheaded, you know, the washing the commanders in the NFC championship. They didn’t really have any household names. I mean, Austin Eckler, obviously, McLaurin is a good piece to have. But no one’s saying McLaurin is on his way to the Hall of Fame. I mean, so I look at his this year’s best season ever, rookie quarterback.” Irvin then pointed out that the reason Daniels was able to flourish is because of the way McLaurin handled him in the first season.
The 59-year-old legend said, “I give credit to McLaurin for that because remember, early on he was patient. He didn’t get frustrated. And he said that early on, he said You know, I have to understand, yes, I want the ball, but right now we have to develop our young quarterback. And I can’t be after him and forcing him to break his reads. And he’s smart enough to know he’s going to benefit greatly for the next seven eight years.” Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in January predicted that the pair would become better as time progresses. And it seems they have indeed helped each other grow.
Daniels and McLaurin have etched their names into franchise history by becoming only the second quarterback-receiver tandem from Washington to earn Pro Bowl honors in the same season. The last time the team saw a duo achieve that feat was back in 1991, when Mark Rypien and Gary Clark lit up the league. And now, with Washington’s upcoming schedule packed with spotlight matchups this season, featuring five prime-time games and three additional standalone showdowns. Among them is a high-profile international clash in Madrid, a rare Saturday appearance, and a special Christmas Day game.
Jayden Daniels is ready to take on anyone in their upcoming clash
Heading into the 2024 NFL season, the Washington Commanders weren’t exactly headliners when it came to prime-time slots. After finishing 4-13 the previous year, they were given just one Sunday night game and a single Thursday night appearance—hardly surprising for a team coming off a rough season. However, the addition of Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels brought a spark of excitement. It’s likely his presence alone earned Washington a coveted Monday night game, as the league looks to spotlight one of the most intriguing young quarterbacks stepping into the spotlight.
The Washington Commanders delivered their most impressive season in over three decades, finishing with a 12-5 record and advancing all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Leading the charge was rookie sensation Jayden Daniels, who swept every Rookie of the Year honor and quickly became the face of the franchise. So, it was no surprise when the NFL revealed the new schedule last month, the Commanders got a bulk of the games. But the 24-year-old isn’t quite fazed by it. Rather, he is up for the challenge and believes that with great team effort, they can beat anyone.
He referred to one of head coach Dan Quinn’s favorite slogans and said, “I think that mantra still stands [Anybody. Anywhere. Anytime],” Daniels further added, “I don’t think we are looking at it as a play Monday night or Sunday night. We are looking at it as we are playing this opponent Sunday, Monday, doesn’t matter if we are playing on Tuesday, Wednesday, we are just going out there playing football.” By the looks of it, this young QB and his team are ready for the challenge and willing to beat anyone in their upcoming matches. For the 24-year-old, he might be running in contention for the MVP award and will look to keep his momentum going.
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