Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is set to team up with Tom Brady and Fanatics in an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this offseason
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will play once more before the 2026 NFL regular season begins, but it will not be the Pro Bowl. In fact, it won't even be in America.
Daniels confirmed at a launch event in Los Angeles that he will play in The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, set for March 21, 2026 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The move was announced on Tuesday night alongside future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady with the two set to join a third unnamed quarterback captain the international event.
Several other prominent current and former NFL stars are also expected to attend including running back Saquon Barkley, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, running back Christian McCaffrey, cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., defensive end Myles Garrett, tight end Brock Bowers, tight end Rob Growkownski, defensive end Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Current head coaches Kyle Shanahan and Sean Payton are also expected to coach the event along with Pete Carroll, who was fired as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders last month.
The new event was announced in mid-September with Brady spearheading efforts to team up with Fanatics, Fox Sports and OBB Media to make the spring game a reality. Brady is partnering with Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, to promote the event with comedy Kevin Hart expected to serve as a host.
The spring matchup is also expected to be the first of several after Brady announced it is a "multi-year commitment" with flag football expected to become a bigger focus following the inclusion of the event beginning in the 2028 Olympics.
The game will be played on a 50-yard field with two ten-yard end zones with a five-on-five format and two 20 minute halves.
Daniels is set to appear in the event after injuries highlighted his second season with the Commanders. The former Heisman winner arrived in Washington in 2024 and became the talk of his draft class after leading the Commanders to an NFC championship game appearance, the franchise's first since 1991, before named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, doing so while drawing all but one of the 50 first place votes. But after suffering knee and elbow injuries at various points during the 2025 season, Daniels played just four full games and made seven appearances in 2025 as the offense saw a big step back under Kliff Kingsbury before ultimately mutually parting ways days after the regular season.
Daniels finished 2025 completing 75.6% of his passes while throwing for 1,262 yards and eight touchdowns with his last throw of the season marking his third interception of the season.
He will look to bounce back in 2026 under new offensive coordinator David Blough, who was officially promoted to offensive coordinator last week. Daniels could have another familiar face back in his corner for the first time since his days at Arizona State with Mike Bercovici, who played for the Sun Devils and served as a grad assistant in 2019, one of two interviews for the vacant quarterbacks coach job. Falcons assistant DJ Williams, son of former Washington quarterback Doug Williams, is also reportedly in the mix.