Jayden Daniels Reflects on Tough 2025 Season, Looks Ahead with Maturity and Resolve
Jayden Daniels didn’t have much to say about last season - and honestly, who could blame him?
The Washington Commanders quarterback, fresh off being named the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, made the rounds during Super Bowl week and stopped by for a conversation with NBC Sports’ Chris Simms. When asked about the 2025 campaign, Daniels kept it short and straightforward: *"The year was the year.
That's all I think I can say about that one." *
That response says a lot without saying much. Daniels isn’t dwelling on the past.
He’s not offering excuses. It’s clear he’s ready to move on from what was, by all accounts, a frustrating and injury-riddled sophomore season.
And it’s easy to understand why he’d want to turn the page. After a promising 12-5 finish in 2024, the Commanders stumbled to a 5-12 record in 2025 - a seven-game drop-off that matched one of the worst year-to-year declines in franchise history. For a team that looked like it was turning the corner, the regression was both dramatic and deflating.
For Daniels, adversity came on multiple fronts. He couldn’t stay healthy, missing significant time due to injuries suffered in four different games.
He ended up appearing in just seven contests and managed to finish only four of them. That’s not the kind of sophomore season any quarterback envisions - especially one who had taken the league by storm just a year earlier.
But Daniels isn’t sulking. If anything, he sounds like a player who’s learning how to navigate the ups and downs of life in the NFL.
When Simms pointed out how quickly things turned from smooth sailing in 2024 to choppy waters in 2025, Daniels responded with perspective: *"Hopefully, this is the most adversity I deal with in my career." *
That’s the mindset of a player who’s already grasping one of the league’s hard truths: every season is a new challenge, and nothing is guaranteed - not health, not wins, not progress. You’ve got to earn it all over again, every year.
Daniels also shared a bit of wisdom he picked up from veteran backup Marcus Mariota - a player who knows a thing or two about the highs and lows of being an NFL quarterback. According to Daniels, Mariota told him that great people meet adversity and work through it by using their minds - a message that clearly resonated.
"It's kind of just something you have got to go through, as a professional in your sport," Daniels said. "You've got to deal with the highs and the lows, man."
That’s the kind of insight you want to hear from a young quarterback still finding his way. Daniels isn’t just leaning on his physical tools - he’s showing signs of the mental toughness and emotional maturity that can carry a player through the grind of an NFL career.
No one’s pretending 2025 was anything but a setback. But Daniels’ attitude suggests it won’t define him. He’s already looking forward, taking the lessons from a tough year and using them as fuel for what comes next.
And if he can stay healthy and keep that mindset? The Commanders may not be down for long.