In the 2023-2024 season, the Houston Texans pulled off a surprising turnaround, finishing with a 10-7 record after two consecutive 13-loss seasons. Much of the Texans’ success came thanks to an incredible rookie campaign from CJ Stroud, where he threw 23 touchdowns to only five interceptions—a record among rookie quarterbacks. After this, the last thing anyone had on their NFL bingo card was seeing another struggling team, the Washington Commanders, go 12-5 and win their first playoff game since 2005. This time around – it was thanks to an equally amazing rookie: Jayden Daniels. The Commanders even outdid the Texans by pulling off a stunning upset over the top-seeded Lions in the divisional round, making Daniels only the sixth rookie quarterback to reach an AFC or NFC Championship Game. But just how legendary was his first season?
When you break down just his stats, it’s clear that Daniels had one of the best rookie seasons ever for a quarterback. He threw for over 3,500 yards and rushed for nearly 900 yards (891 to be exact). He also set records for the most offensive yards by a rookie, boasted the best completion percentage (69%) of any rookie quarterback in history, and became the first rookie ever to throw three touchdowns and rush for more than 125 yards in a game. But it’s not just the numbers that stand out—Daniels proved himself as one of the most clutch rookies to ever play the game. In just his first season Daniels has led the Commanders to eight wins in one-score games and five game-winning drives. Four of those wins came in the final four weeks of the season, proving his ability to perform under pressure. Even in the NFC Championship loss to the Eagles, Daniels showed out—throwing for over 225 yards, a touchdown, and rushing for another. Unfortunately, his team committed three fumbles, all of which the Eagles capitalized on. Though Daniels did throw an interception, it came with under five minutes left when the Commanders were already down 48-23, so I don’t really count it as heavily. Despite the final score of 55-23, Daniels kept his team competitive against an Eagles run game that quite literally couldn’t be stopped all day.
It’s clear that Daniels had a historic rookie season, and now the big question is: can he replicate this success in the 2025 season? I mentioned CJ Stroud and the Texans earlier because, despite matching his 2023 record, Stroud’s numbers dropped in his sophomore year. While that doesn’t guarantee Daniels will face a sophomore slump, it’s a reminder that success in the NFL is never a given. Despite this, the Commanders have nothing less than a bright future, and with cap space of over $80 million, I don’t see how Jayden Daniels and the Commanders don’t get back to the NFC Championship Game very soon.
