Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) drops to throw during the second quarter of a NFC wild card playoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

This ex-NFL QB shuts down RGIII-Jayden Daniels comparisons

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Former Washington Commanders quarterback Robert Griffin III might have been just a bit ahead of his time when it came to style of play. RGIII was an electrifying dual-threat quarterback at Baylor before being selected second overall by Washington in the 2012 NFL Draft. While he had a successful rookie season, Griffin III's career really never took off following that.

Now, the wave in the NFL when it comes to quarterbacks is having a dual-threat guy or at least a quarterback who can somewhat get away from defenses, something that current Commanders' quarterback Jayden Daniels excels at.

It's easy to find the parallels between RGIII's and Daniels' rookie seasons, but according to former Washington quarterback Rex Grossman, there isn't much of a comparison. During an interview with Kyle Odegard of Card Player, Grossman, who was in Washington for RGIII's rookie season, explained why that is.

“Not really. That's not taking away anything from RGIII, because he came in with so much hype, so much attention, being the second pick in the draft, Heisman Trophy winner," said Grossman. "He just had a big personality and I thought he would struggle, actually, going through training camp practices. I knew he would be able to run and he could do some really good things throwing the ball, but man, he was not consistent."

I will have to disagree with Grossman on this take. When looking at the stats, Daniels only threw for a few hundred more yards than RGIII, but had nine more touchdowns through the air and threw four more interceptions. Their rushing output was equally on par with 891 yards and six touchdowns for Daniels, to 815 yards and seven touchdowns for Griffin III.

When looking at consistency, both Daniels and RGIII completed between 65% and 70% of their passes. Both former Heisman trophy winners also went on to be named Pro Bowlers and were named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The only real difference when comparing the two's rookie seasons is that Daniels led his team to a 12-5 regular season record and a deep playoff run to the NFC Championship game while RGIII only managed to get his team to a 9-5 record and an early playoff exit, losing in the Wild Card round.

The NFL game has changed since the days of RGIII, and it drastically fits the skill sets that both possess. Luckily for Daniels, he was born at the right time to be able to flourish a bit more in today's NFL schemes. Griffin III wasn't quite given the same during his playing days.

Daniels and the Commanders hope that he can continue the level of play they saw in his rookie season, hopefully avoiding the unfortunate downfall that RGIII had following his rookie season.