Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels Cooper Neill/GettyImages

Commanders hold the golden ticket to make Jayden Daniels’ dream come true

Originally posted on Riggo's Rag | By Dean Jones | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Jayden Daniels became the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft after a sensational campaign at LSU, during which his stock soared en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. The Washington Commanders recognized his special gifts, and he completely shifted the franchise's direction during a rookie campaign for the ages.

Daniels also made strong connections with his former Tigers teammates. Malik Nabers developed a close friendship with the signal-caller, although they are now friendly rivals after he was drafted by the New York Giants. Another was Brian Thomas Jr., who is finding life difficult with the Jacksonville Jaguars this time around despite going over 1,200 receiving yards in Year 1 of his professional career.

Thomas has been credited with nine drops through seven games — 16.4 percent of his targets. Things are just not clicking for the wideout, and he's come in for severe criticism. Dianna Russini from The Athletic went one step further, revealing that the Jaguars are listening to potential trade offers for the pass-catcher before the 2025 deadline.

Commanders named best-case scenario for blockbuster Brian Thomas Jr. trade

While Russini stated a move felt highly unlikely, it's a sign that all is not well between Thomas and Jacksonville. And Ian Hartitz from Fantasy Life thought the Commanders could hold the golden ticket to reunite Daniels with his old college weapon.

Brian Thomas trades possibilities:

Best case: Commanders
Second best case: Giants
Low key fire: Seahawks
High key fire: Buccaneers
Kinda cool: Packers
Cool: Broncos
Less cool: Raiders
Don’t love it: Steelers
Hate it: Cardinals
Really hate it: Browns
Batshit crazy awesome: Bills
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 25, 2025

While Daniels and Thomas would no doubt relish the opportunity to play together in the pros, it's not that simple.

Adam Peters has made several trades over the last year to maximize his quarterback's rookie contract. The Commanders are left with six picks in 2026, and they don't have second or fourth rounders. That makes it incredibly difficult to put together the required package to secure the wideout's services, even if they wanted to.

Letting a player of Thomas' caliber leave so early in his career, and especially after he took the league by storm in 2024, seems foolish. He's going through some confidence issues right now, but there is still plenty of time to turn things around. The Jaguars are gauging interest, but it would be a bombshell of epic proportions if they pulled the trigger.

The Commanders are getting Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. back from injury in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Daniels is unfortunately sidelined with a low-grade hamstring strain, and with some challenging games over the next few weeks, the 3-4 franchise might not have the luxury of making another trade if their slump continues.

Trading for Thomas would receive Daniels' seal of approval beyond all doubt. But it does look like a pipedream, all things considered.

This article first appeared on Riggo's Rag and was syndicated with permission.

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