Jayden Daniels

Jayden Daniels Bio

Jayden Daniels (born December 18, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He rose to national prominence as a dual-threat quarterback at Cajon High School in San Bernardino, California, before starring at Arizona State University and Louisiana State University. After winning the 2023 Heisman Trophy at LSU, Daniels was selected second overall in the 2024 NFL draft by the Commanders and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors during a record-setting first season.

Standing 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and weighing 210 lb (95 kg), Daniels is regarded as one of the most polished dual-threat passers of his generation. His ability to combine accurate downfield passing with elusive rushing has drawn comparisons to veteran NFL quarterbacks and helped reshape the Commanders’ offense.

Early Life and Background

Jayden Daniels was born in Fontana, California, on December 18, 2000, and raised in nearby San Bernardino. He began playing flag football as a cornerback at age five in 2006 and moved to quarterback in Pop Warner tackle football in 2008. He also ran track and played basketball and soccer as a youth before starting his freshman year at Cajon High School in 2015.

Daniels initially needed a medical note to play because the coach considered him undersized at 125 pounds. Despite breaking the little finger of his right hand early in his sophomore season, he went on to set a state record with over 6,400 total yards in his junior season and led Cajon to a Citrus Belt League championship and a Division 2-AA state finals appearance. As a senior in 2018, he led the school to another league title and a CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship appearance, earning the Ken Hubbs Award as the top high school athlete in the San Bernardino area.

Across 53 games at Cajon, Daniels set CIF-SS records with 210 touchdowns and over 17,600 total yards while also competing in hurdling and the 100-meters, 200-meters, 400-meters, and 4 × 100-meters relay sprints. Rated a four-star prospect and the top dual-threat quarterback in his class by 247Sports, he received 25 college scholarship offers before committing to Arizona State University in December 2018.

Path to American Football

Daniels enrolled at Arizona State in January 2019 and immediately won the Sun Devils’ starting quarterback competition, becoming the first Arizona State freshman to start an opening week. He earned Pac-12 Conference offensive player of the week honors after passing for 408 yards and three touchdowns in an upset of the sixth-ranked Oregon Ducks, and he was named MVP of the 2019 Sun Bowl. He set the Sun Devils’ freshman passing yards record and earned a spot on ESPN’s freshman All-American team.

After a four-game 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniels led the Pac-12 in completion percentage in 2021 and guided Arizona State to an 8–4 record and a Las Vegas Bowl appearance. Following coaching turnover and an NCAA investigation into COVID guideline violations, Daniels entered the NCAA transfer portal in February 2022.

Daniels transferred to Louisiana State University (LSU) in March 2022, won the starting job, and led the Tigers to a 9–3 regular season and an appearance in the SEC Championship Game. In 2023, he threw 40 touchdowns, rushed for 10 more, set the FBS single-season passer rating record, and led the nation in total yards, earning the Heisman Trophy as LSU’s third Heisman winner after Billy Cannon in 1959 and Joe Burrow in 2019.

Jayden Daniels Career

Early Career (2019–2021)

At Arizona State, Daniels immediately established himself as a starter and a playmaker, becoming the first Sun Devils freshman quarterback to start opening day. His breakout 2019 performance against the Oregon Ducks and his Sun Bowl MVP honors foreshadowed his development as a top-tier college signal-caller.

The 2021 campaign was Daniels’ most productive at Arizona State, as he led the Pac-12 in completion percentage and helped the team to eight wins. His decision to transfer to LSU after the season ultimately accelerated his path toward national stardom.

LSU Breakthrough (2022–2023)

In his first season with the LSU Tigers, Daniels earned SEC offensive player of the week honors in consecutive weeks for wins over No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 6 Alabama. He led the Tigers to the 2022 SEC Championship Game and capped his first LSU season with a 63–7 win over Purdue in the Citrus Bowl, catching a touchdown pass from wide receiver Malik Nabers.

Daniels’ 2023 season cemented his Heisman credentials. He tied an SEC record with eight total touchdowns against Georgia State and became the first FBS player ever to record 350 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in the same game against Florida. He finished the season with 40 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing scores while leading the nation in total yards, claiming the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Washington Commanders Era (2024–Present)

Daniels was selected second overall by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft, signed a fully guaranteed four-year rookie contract worth $37.75 million in June 2024, and was named the team’s starting quarterback by the end of training camp. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals and became the Offensive Rookie of the Month for September after completing 82.1% of his passes over a four-game span, the highest such figure in league history.

He finished the regular season as the rookie leader in points per game (28.5), completion percentage (69%), and rushing yards by a rookie quarterback (891), while also setting the Commanders’ rookie passing yards record with 3,568 yards. Daniels threw a rookie-record 12 fourth-quarter or overtime touchdowns, including five within the final 30 seconds of games. He led Washington to a 12–5 regular season, the team’s best mark since 1991, and to the NFC Championship Game, where he set multiple rookie postseason records before the Commanders lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Following an injury-marred 2025 season in which he missed ten games with knee, hamstring, and elbow injuries and the team finished 5–12, Daniels remains the Commanders’ franchise quarterback and was named to the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025.

Driving Style and Strengths

Regarded as a dual-threat quarterback, Daniels combines drop-back passer field awareness and accuracy with the speed and elusiveness needed to extend plays on scrambles and keeper runs. Coaches and teammates consistently praise his calm demeanor and composure in late-game and high-pressure situations, and he incorporates virtual reality training with German software company Cognilize to prepare for opposing defenses.

Notable Events and Milestones

Among Daniels’ signature moments, his 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown against the Chicago Bears in 2024, known as the Hail Maryland, was named the NFL’s Moment of the Year. He also became only the sixth rookie in league history to throw five touchdowns in a single game during a comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles in December 2024.

Jayden Daniels Career Wins

Daniels has accumulated wins at every level of competitive football, from high school championships to college bowl victories and NFL playoff success. As a senior at Cajon High School he led the program to a Citrus Belt League title and a CIF-SS Division 3 championship appearance, and at Arizona State he guided the Sun Devils to the 2019 Sun Bowl title and the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl.

LSU Highlights

During the 2022 season, Daniels led LSU to a 9–3 regular season, an SEC Championship Game appearance, and a 63–7 Citrus Bowl victory over Purdue. He captured SEC offensive player of the week honors twice that season, including for his overtime win over No. 6 Alabama.

Other Wins and Performances

Daniels also earned Pac-12 Conference offensive player of the week honors twice during his Arizona State tenure, including a 2019 upset of No. 6 Oregon and a 2021 win over UCLA. In the NFL, his Week 5 win over the Chicago Bears produced the Hail Maryland play, one of the defining moments of his rookie season.

Jayden Daniels Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Jayden Daniels was born to Javon “Jay” Daniels, a former college football cornerback for the Washington Huskies and Iowa State Cyclones in the late 1990s, and Regina Jackson, who works as Daniels’ business manager and agent. He has an older sister named Bianca, and his paternal grandparents died of COVID-19 in early 2021.

Personal Life

Daniels traces part of his heritage to his maternal great-grandmother, making him the first starting NFL quarterback with Japanese ancestry since Arthur Matsu in 1928. He earned a degree in business communications from Arizona State University in December 2021 and pursued a Master of Liberal Arts degree at LSU. On January 20, 2024, San Bernardino mayor Helen Tran presented him with a key to the city, declared “Jayden Daniels Day,” and dedicated Cajon High School’s football stadium in his name.

2025 Season Performance

Daniels’ 2025 campaign began with a season-opening win over the New York Giants before a Week 2 left knee sprain against the Green Bay Packers sidelined him for games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. He returned in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers, only to suffer a right hamstring strain in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys that cost him the following game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

After returning against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9, Daniels dislocated his left elbow late in the game on a sack while the Commanders trailed 38–7, prompting criticism of the decision to keep him in the game. He came back against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14 but left in the second half after an interception and a hard landing on his elbow, and was later ruled out for the remainder of the season.

In total, Daniels missed ten games in 2025 as Washington finished 5–12, drawing comparisons to former Commanders star Robert Griffin III. Despite the injury setbacks, Daniels remains Washington’s starting quarterback heading into 2026, when he is scheduled to appear on season 3 of the Netflix documentary series Quarterback alongside Baker Mayfield, Cam Ward, and Joe Flacco, and will participate in the 2026 Fanatics Flag Football Classic as co-captain of the Wildcats FFC with Joe Burrow.