Jayden Daniels - How a skinny kid from Southern California lifted up an entire city
As most British NFL fans will know all too well (or anyone from a non-US time zone for that matter), staying up late is just part of the game. The hushed cheers, the silent jumps up and down and heavy eyelids often come with watching this sport, and that is exactly where I was in the early hours of Friday the 26th of April. For those who don’t know, that was the day of the 2024 NFL draft.
The draft is the only good thing fans of bad teams have to look forward to all season and as a Washington Commanders fan, it was all I had after another abysmal season.
Drafts apply in slightly different formats throughout all 4 major professional sports1 in America, and is when teams pick young players who have just finished their time playing for their college (university) teams. The more highly touted players obviously get picked first and the worst team of the previous year gets the 1st pick, the second worst gets the 2nd pick and so on until all 32 teams have picked. Then it goes back up to the worst team starting the ‘second round’ of picks. This continues over 4 days (with breaks between the first couple of rounds) and contains 7 rounds in total.
Of course you have no idea beforehand whether the players your team picks will actually fulfil their promise and turn your team around, or crash and burn under the pressure and injuries, but that’s part of what makes it exciting every year.
Being a fan of the Commanders hasn’t been easy since around 1992. The formally named Washington Redskins were a powerhouse of the NFL in the 80’s and early 90’s, winning 3 out of 5 Superbowl appearances and making it to countless NFC Championship games, the ‘semi-finals’ of the NFL postseason.
It hasn’t been quite the same since local businessman Dan Synder bought the team in 1999.
I’m not going to go into the full scope of reasons why this was an issue, but only partly because this would become a very long article. Dan Synder is an example of a sports owner who thinks he knows a lot more than he actually does, and lets his passion for the team overhaul his ability to step back and let “football people make football decisions”. Like the NFL’s answer to Shakespere’s character “Macbeth”, Synder loved the power of being an NFL owner, becoming almost drunk on it, and used it to get whatever he wanted. Most troublingly being fined $60 Million Dollars by the league after an independent investigation concluded that Dan sexually harassed a team employee.
That wasn’t even the only time he was ever accused of said crime.
But how did he do at his job, running the team, away from all the off the field noise? Not much better to be honest.
When Synder first came in, the football had been competitive, but nowhere near the level it would take to get back to the Superbowl. He took that team and made it hard for them to even make the playoffs, signing veteran players to huge contracts that they couldn't see out, and drafting extremely poorly after insisting on picking the players himself. He could never seem to build a consistent roster for his whole tenure, often opting for the ‘big swing’ that would inevitably not work out.
What did Einstein say that the definition of insanity was again?
The one bright spot the team had since 1999 was the 2012 season, in which they traded up in the draft to take Quarterback Robert Griffin III from Baylor. Griffin III was great in his first regular season winning ‘offensive rookie of the year’ honours, but after playing on injuries that weren’t fully healed during that years playoffs, against the advice of team doctors, he suffered irreparable damage to his ACL and LCL joints effectively ending his career.
The team appeared to be cursed. This is without even mentioning the tragic murder of young superstar safety Sean Taylor in 2007 during a home invasion at his abode in Florida. Synder would later honour Sean with a half-assed ‘memorial’ 15 years after his death, consisting of putting pieces of his uniform on a mannequin in a clear glass case at the stadium. Not really fitting for a player who was so loved by fans before and after his death, and understandably they weren’t happy. This has later been rectified and a statue of Sean Taylor commissioned by the man i’m just about to talk about.
Synder’s reign of chaos ended abruptly on the 20th of July 2023. After the aforementioned investigation concluded on the 6th of July, two weeks later Synder was out, being replaced by Washington native Josh Harris and his ownership group of limited partners which includes NBA legend Ervin “Magic” Johnson. The team sold for $6.05 Billion Dollars, a huge increase from the $800 Million it had cost Synder 24 years prior. Whilst fans were angry at how much he made on the team after running it so poorly for so long, the overriding feeling was that of relief.
The Synder nightmare was over in Washington.
Coming in, there was scepticism that surrounded the takeover for a couple of reasons. Josh Harris is the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, an NBA basketball team just a 2 and a half hour drive down the I-95 from the Commanders stadium, he’d never owned or even been a part of an NFL franchise. Philly and Washington are traditionally sports rivals, so playing the two cities off against each other was confusing to some. And I think there was a lack of trust of ownership in general from fans in DC, the previous regime having held the team held to ransom for 24 years.
After running it back with the same team that Dan Synder had built in 2023 which was to be his first season in charge, Harris hired a consultancy staff that offseason headed up by Bob Myers, former General Manager of the Golden State Warriors. Another NBA basketball team, having just won 4 championships in 8 years. This was to help him appoint the '“right people” to take the franchise forward, and included the hiring of a new GM and Head Coach. As you can imagine, a lot of the talk was around the fact that a load of formally Basketball executives had come and taken over a Football team, with arguably little to no experience of what it was like to run a football team. Harris justified the Myers hire by saying he’s “a winner”.
“Who wouldn't want him on your team trying to help your franchise? He knows how to identify talent. He knows how to build winning franchises, winning cultures”.
The hire clearly turned off Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson. Around that time, ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported that Ben Johnson thought that Commander’s ownership were ‘Basketball guys’ and were too overconfident of their football knowledge. Johnson despite being favourite to win the Head Coaching job with the Commanders, instead opted to stay in Detroit for one more year, saying
“when it boils down to it, I wanted the sunshine a little bit longer. That's really what it comes down to for me”.
Following the Ben Johnson collapse, the Commanders quickly pivoted and hired Superbowl winning former Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn. Quinn had just come off of 3 years as the defensive coordinator with Washington’s arch rival the Dallas Cowboys, and there were questions about his ability to be a head coach in the league. Quinn had been the architect of the famous ‘28-3’ collapse in Superbowl 51 against the Patriots, and whilst he commanded one of the best regular season defences all 3 years in Dallas, the doors seemed to blow off as soon as it came playoff time. Dan had proven he could build a team, but was yet to prove that he could elevate one to glory. A risky hire, but as it would turn out, an astute one.
Josh Harris also hired San Francisco 49’ers assistant GM Adam Peters to be the new Commanders general manager. This was actually big news across the league, as Peters was lined up to take the 49’ers job fresh off of the back of their second Superbowl appearance in 5 years, but opted to cross the country and head up the Washington franchise instead. This was a big statement from new ownership that they were serious about building a winner, Peters with a track record of making tough decisions was perfect for a job where the team would need entirely rebuilding.
So that gives you a pretty thorough insight into the situation that a new Quarterback would walk into. Quarterback is a position that Washington have historically failed to get right, which isn’t a great situation considering that it’s arguably the most important position on the field. This time however, it looks like things are changing.
With the second pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they took LSU Quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Daniels, born on the 18th of December 2000, is from Fontana, south east of Los Angeles in California. He began playing contact football at 7 years old, citing University of Southern California running back Reggie Bush as a huge inspiration, prompting him to wear the number 5. He took a lot of criticism coming out of college because of his slight frame and tendency to run for yardage when the ball is snapped, rather than a typical QB who will stand and deliver the throw. Staying in college for all 5 years of his eligibility, he got better each year transferring to Louisiana State for his last two years.
It was to be his final year in college in which he would take a huge step up, passing for almost 4000 yards with 40 touchdowns to 4 interceptions and winning college football’s highest individual honour, the Heisman Trophy. But in his first year in the NFL, Daniels gave us one of the greatest rookie Quarterback seasons in NFL history, and topped it off with a ‘cinderella’ run to the NFC Championship game.
In the first two games he looked shaky, but gave us a few flashes of the speed we’d seen in college, being able to swerve and change his direction quickly to avoid a tackle. It was his first primetime spot, on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals where he would break out, and we would see what could happen when he was allowed to throw the ball. He completed 21 out of 23 of his passes, throwing for 2 Touchdowns and running 1 into the end zone himself in the 38-33 win against a Superbowl contending team. The Bengals were expected to move them aside easily, but behind a great offensive performance, they proved they had the firepower to hang with the big teams.
They went on to win 5 of their next 6 games, and eventually finished the season 12-5 (W-L). This was incredible considering the team had only won 4 games the previous year, swings like that are rare especially in the modern NFL. They had managed to do it with the 3rd lowest payroll in the entire league, most of the free agency signings ahead of Jayden’s rookie year being one year “prove it” deals given out to vets.
However it was what he did in the playoffs that has already made him a Washington legend. Despite the team not winning a playoff game since the 2005 season, Daniels and the Commanders stormed into Tampa Bay and beat the Buccaneers in the first round. Then headed to Detroit to beat and knock out the powerhouse Detroit Lions in their own stadium, the team with the best regular season record in their conference and the one that Ben Johnson had rejected the Commanders to stay with. The defence looked very leaky at times, but the offense went on to steamroll two really good defences, led by the decision making of the ‘Rookie of the year’ Daniels. Nobody expected them to even make the playoffs, and yet here they were defeating the best team record wise in their conference in their home stadium.
That was unfortunately where the run would end. They were beaten handedly by the eventual Superbowl winners the Philadelphia Eagles, with crucial mistakes costing them despite another great performance from Jayden. They came so close to their first Superbowl appearance since 1992, but were beaten by the better team on the day, a team stacked with star studded names in every position and a hugely inflated payroll in comparison. No shame in that whatsoever.
I think many fans whilst disappointed, shared the same sentiment I did. I felt proud. Proud of the effort that was displayed by all the players, the way that the new coaching staff and Daniels had forged an identity and a brand of Football that had not been seen in Washington for a very long time. And proud that no matter who told them they couldn’t and wouldn’t, they did.
It’s hard to talk about Jayden Daniels without also mentioning his strong devotion to his faith. Daniels talks about and uplifts his faith in every aspect of his life, often posting bible quotes on his social media, talking about his relationship with God in interviews and wearing the cross on his wristband during games. While other athletes are taking in the glory, wearing big chains and posting about their off the field exploits, Jayden is much happier to keep himself to himself and put his faith first. I think that has a lot to do with why this young man is so poised in high pressure situations. He knows that whether he performs well or terribly, he'll always have his faith to fall back on, it’s all in “God’s plan”. He is free to make mistakes and be himself knowing that God will love him either way. Whilst I don’t share his view of religion, I have found a deep respect in the way he lives his life, and I think a lot of other fans have tapped into that journey too.
The playoff run and buzz surrounding the new Washington Commanders and their starboy brought about something else in the City. When I visited Washington a few months after Jayden was drafted by the team, I was surprised to see nobody wearing Commanders or Redskins apparel at all. For anyone who has been to America and has an interest in any of the sports teams, one thing I noticed straight away is how ingrained in the culture sportswear is. If you go to New York City, you will see more people donning Yankee hats or Giants jerseys than not. Same in Philadelphia, where Eagles and Sixers gear is almost omni-present. It’s even on buildings that have nothing to do with the sport, the team represent the people of the city and they take pride in that. But clearly this aforementioned turmoil had sucked the pride out of the team for a lot of fans, and it showed on the streets. It was rare to find anything Washington sports related at all.
After the playoff game ended in Tampa Bay, Commanders fan flooded into the concourse at Raymond James Stadium and despite being the away fans, filled the halls and outside streets in a sea of Burgundy and Gold. People had travelled from all over the world to see Washington make history, but no one appreciated it more than the die hard residents of the DMV area. Jayden is a symbol of hope for them, a sign that no matter how bad things get, they can always improve and eventually will.
As a result, I’ve started to see those banners go back up in DC bars. Sports shows are actually talking about the team and the city again, rather than all the media coverage being negative critisism. People wearing his jersey, and the jerseys of his teammates. People in the DMV area are proud to have their team back, and it shows.
When the final chapter of this young man’s career closes, and his eventual accolades (or lack thereof) are totted up, it is my belief that we may have witnessed the career of one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever touch a football. It’s a bold claim, but I have never seen a young player with so much poise and detail, the way he is able to take hold of a game and an offence and control the tempo is extremely rare to see in any Quarterback, never mind a first year player. Maybe time will prove me wrong, but I can see this kid getting even better than he already is next season. This obviously relies on many things in and out of his control, but as Jayden would say himself;
“It’s all in God’s plan”.
Basketball, Hockey, Football and Baseball.