Jayden Daniels discusses Commanders' predraft group visit controversy

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has again insisted he wasn't upset over the Washington Commanders' predraft group visit that included Daniels sharing time with Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy. 

"I was cool with it," Daniels told former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson during the latest edition of the "All Facts No Brakes" podcast, as shared by Fox Sports/Fox News. "I knew all those guys there. I didn't really trip. It just felt like a [college] recruiting visit. They…didn't really want the visit to be all uptight about football. They wanted to let us have fun, because we had been going through this [predraft process] for so long." 

Shortly after it was learned that Daniels and others in the group went on a trip to a TopGolf driving range facility, whispers surfaced that he had an interest in being drafted by a team other than Washington and that individuals within Daniels' camp weren't thrilled about the group nature of the visit. Daniels later said he felt "blessed to go wherever I'm called," and the Commanders made him the second overall pick of the 2024 draft.

"It was just different because it was four of the top five quarterbacks there, which kind of blew up on social media," Daniels continued during his chat with Johnson. "I trained with Mike and J.J. all predraft. I met Drake last summer. So we were all cool."

It was reported that Daniels became the Commanders' top choice among available quarterbacks "early in their evaluations and never lost ground" before the final Thursday of April. 

"A competitor — and a dog," Daniels said about what Washington is getting in its new quarterback. "[I'm] gonna do whatever it takes to win and try to change the trajectory of the franchise. Not necessarily in year one, but hopefully down the road. It's gonna be a process. I'm someone willing to work."

It's unclear if Washington will start Daniels or veteran Marcus Mariota in Week 1. DraftKings Sportsbook listed Daniels tied for second among the betting favorites at +650 odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for the 2024 season.