Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels ranked inside the top five among quarterbacks still on rookie deals ahead of 2026.
On offense, the focus for the Washington Commanders all offseason has been centered around upgrading the weapons available to quarterback Jayden Daniels ahead of his pivotal third season. With a handful of free agents still available to address some of the lingering questions, that has partially been addressed after a handful of moves restocked the wide receiver depth while the Commanders added former Clemson star Antonio Williams on day two of the 2026 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, tight end Chig Okonkwo could materialize into a major piece of the passing attack after arriving as a much-needed weapon to add an athletic piece to the room.
Yet for Daniels, he will have a chance to prove himself once again after a limited 2025 season casted doubt following a breakout 2024 season. In a league hit with another wave of rookie quarterbacks, Daniels still ranks among the league's best.
NFL.com ranked Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels as the third-best quarterback still on a rookie deal ahead of 2026, slotted behind Drake Maye of the New England Patriots and Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
Daniels also slotted ahead of both Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos and CJ Stroud of the Houston Texans to round out NFL.com's' top five.
"I still hold a firm belief that Daniels is one of the most dynamic, thrilling quarterbacks in the NFL when healthy, and that he is fully capable of carrying this offense for as long as he can remain available," Nick Shook of NFL.com wrote.
The injury question will be a consistent storyline for Daniels ahead of his third season until he proves exactly that after being limited to just four full games and seven appearances in 2025.
Yet the confidence stems from the glimpses as a sophomore NFL quarterback followed by his 2024 season that ended in an NFC Championship game appearance along with a Rookie of the Year selection.
In 2024, Daniels amassed over 3,500 passing yards and 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions while completing 69% of his passes, while he added another nearly 900 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
2026 also marks a pivotal season for Daniels given he enters year three of his four year rookie deal with the focus set to shift to contract extension talks next offseason as general manager Adam Peters prepares for another major deal after inking veterans Terry McLaurin and Laremy Tunsil in consecutive offseasons.