A Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Jayden Daniels isn’t a star quarterback.
Not yet anyway. Just ask him.
The Washington Commanders quarterback was quick to showcase a humble outlook when asked Wednesday what it was like to be a star in the DC market.
“I mean, I ain’t a star quarterback yet,” said Daniels, via team transcript. “I got a long way to go. I'm a rookie, to answer that.”
Daniels has been given the star treatment, however. He’s been a man about town, having recently attended a United States Men’s National Team soccer match and throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game.
The LSU product has enjoyed the experiences, though he’s clearly not letting it get to his head.
“That was my first time throwing out a first pitch, that was my first time going to the soccer game and just seeing the atmosphere and seeing different sports,” Daniels said. “And to be able to just go out there and support them, coming into a new town, a new community and be able to go out there and support and showing them love, so when our season comes around the players at the Nationals game or people on Team USA for soccer want to come to a game, they can and they can come show love too.”
Anointed as the Commanders' franchise quarterback of the future, Daniels is making it clear with his words and work that he’s up for the challenge, but he’s not taking anything for granted.
Hence, he and fellow rookie, wide receiver Luke McCaffrey, have been getting practices early, around 5:45 a.m., to get in as much preparation as the day will allow.
“I get here around like 5:45 a.m. and just walk through in the bubble in the indoor, watching film and stuff like that,” he said. “But just trying to prepare myself for the day. It's kind of just that routine that I had when I was in college, but now I'm in there actually walking through because I'm still learning the playbook and trying to grasp everything. So just being comfortable for the day and being ready to go out there and go out and compete at practice.”
There’s been an unending carrousel of quarterbacks through Washington with 12 quarterbacks having started at least one game since 2018.
Daniels is supposed to stop all that, but for now, he’s grounded as it relates to his status and the workmanlike approach he’s embracing. In the meantime, he’s not feeling any added pressure to fulfill the Commanders’ long-vacant franchise QB hole.
“I'm just out here just doing my job,” Daniels said. “You know, how can I help the team get better each and every day and that's what I'm focused on. I'm focused on learning, focus on going out here and keep competing every day and having fun, bringing that energy and that joy and that competitiveness to the team, which DQ and them preach all the time. We want to compete in everything that we do. So, I'm out here just trying to do my job and that’s getting the 11 people on my side of the ball to go the same direction.”