No 'Sophomore Slump' Predicted for Commanders' Jayden Daniels

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 8:27 AM ET

One of the biggest questions this year is whether Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels can replicate his efforts from his rookie season.

Leading the Commanders to a 12-5 regular season record, an NFC Championship appearance, and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year is a hard thing to replicate.

But that is what is in front of Daniels.

Some think that a natural regression might be coming for the former LSU star, but for Steve Palazzolo, in speaking on the Check The Mic podcast, he doesn't see Jayden slipping up in 2025.

“How much have we talked about Jayden, like let's give it one more year before we see Jayden Daniels and the rise to stardom? I would just say looks like a star once again doesn't have any semblance of a sophomore slump like C.J. Stroud, like Baker Mayfield, like RG3, some of the other guys over the last 10 years,” Palazzolo said.

Stroud is the most recent case study for the slump, having won one more regular-season game, but his stats all declined (interceptions increased), and his overall play fell short of the standard set in his 2023 season.

Will a similar fate meet Jayden in 2025?

Commanders' fans sure hope not, and general manager Adam Peters went about his business and traded for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil to boost the firepower around his young quarterback further.

Is that enough to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump? Time will tell, but there's every reason to think that Daniels won't regress in Year 2.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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