Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels celebrates touchdown run by quarterback Josh Johnson. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Jayden Daniels hopes to learn from disastrous Commanders season

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jan 6, 2026 7:00 AM ET

Washington Commanders quarterback Jaden Daniels didn't have the season he had hoped for in 2025 with the team.

After making it all the way to the NFC Championship in his rookie year, Daniels' second season was highlighted by injuries as the Commanders won just five games. Daniels spoke about what his mindset will be in the offseason now that he's fully healthy and ready to go.

"I mean, it's going my third year. So obviously I was motivated last year to get back, so it just didn't go that way. So I would say it would, but I don't have a lot of years to kind of just go on that and be like, no, this year is different than my third year. So each and every year I'm motivated to go out there and play the game I love," Daniels said via WUSA9.

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Daniels can bounce back in Year 3

The hope for Daniels is that he can remain among the best young quarterbacks in the NFL because there are other signal callers catching up to him in terms of production, including New England Patriots star Drake Maye and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Both will be in the playoffs while Daniels sits on the sidelines wishing he was there.

"I mean, at the end of the day, we're all going to be linked together and we're all super competitive. That's why we're in this league," Daniels said via WUSA9.

"So it's not like, oh, I hate you type of thing, but it's a mutual respect and you obviously you want to see the people that you came into the NFL with do good. And I mean, that's kind of just what it's going to be. I mean, for the rest of our career, the rest of our lives, we're going to be linked together. So it's nothing that we could do or say the media is going to pin us against each other. So that's kind of just what the media does."

Daniels is hoping to learn from his second season while he was sitting on the sidelines in hopes that he can get better in 2026 and beyond.

"I think you just getting a different perspective. Watching the games and you understand the importance of each and every play. How important each play are in the game. You only get a 65 plays max. I think that's kind of what the average is. So you kind of just see the importance of each and every play. You kind of learn from a different perspective," Daniels said via WUSA9.

The hope for the Commanders is that Daniels will learn from his first and second seasons to apply experiences from both to come out with his best season yet in 2026.