When the Washington Commanders selected Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the hope for the organization was that they found a franchise quarterback they could rely on for years to come.
It only took one season, but that is exactly what the Commanders got.
Daniels' first year as the franchise quarterback for Washington showed a kind of leadership and ability that the organization hasn't really seen in decades. So much so that CBS sports' Cody Benjamin believes Daniels enters the 2025 season as the best quarterback in the league.
And yes, ahead of the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.
"Recency bias? Sure. But you'd be hard-pressed to find an NFL team that wouldn't hurry to claim him as its quarterback of the present and future, contenders included," Benjamin wrote. "He was simply unflappable for much of his dynamic debut, which ended on the doorstep of the Super Bowl.
"A second-year dip is possible, but who says [Jayden] Daniels won't keep climbing with some added veteran help in D.C.?"
As good as Daniels was in 2024, and he was spectacular in leading Washington to the conference title game for the first time in 30 years, to think he's the best signal-caller in the game is absurd.
It not only adds unnecessary hype around young quarterbacks.
Daniels is already one of the best quarterbacks in the game. To think he's the best, though, is just over the top bravado at this point. And it could set himself up for failure in the future.