Jayden Daniels
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Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Following the 2024 season, no player in the NFL saw their stock soar more than Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels following 1 of the greatest rookie years in league history.
Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, was named a Pro Bowler and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as he led the Commanders to a 12-5 regular season record and the NFC Championship Game. It was the best season for the Commanders since 1991 and revived hope for one of the NFL’s most hopeless franchises.
That kind of success made the Commanders not only Super Bowl contenders headed into 2025 but turned Daniels into an NFL MVP candidate and, projecting even further, set him up to become the highest paid player in NFL history following the 2026 season when he was eligible for his 1st contract extension.
Then, 2025 happened. Daniels, 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, missed 10 games with a variety of hamstring, knee and elbow injuries until he was finally shut down for the season following an ugly, 31-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14.
The Commanders went 5-12 as a result, both of the Commanders’ coordinators were fired following the season and the stock on Daniels has never been lower.
The aftershocks of Daniels’ lost season are showing themselves in some interesting ways this offseason — including leaving him on the outside looking in when it comes to cashing out in 2027.
Drake Maye, Caleb Williams Called ‘Next Man Up’
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti put out a list of the projected “Next Man Up” contracts at every NFL position — meaning the next contracts that will reset the market for every different position.
After 2024 it was impossible to think Daniels would be left off the list, but when it comes to the 6 quarterbacks drafted in the 1st round in 2024, only New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (No. 3 overall) and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (No. 1 overall) were included.
The current highest paid player in the NFL is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who signed a 4-year, $240 million contract extension before the 2024 season. While Ginnitti has Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson as the “Next Man Up” to take over the No. 1 spot, he has Maye and Williams listed as waiting in the wings.
That leaves Daniels out in the cold.
Depending on how the 2026 season shakes out, there’s a good possibility both Maye and Williams land contracts that pay them around $65 million per year.
Maye was just NFL MVP runner-up and led his team to the Super Bowl and Williams put the Bears on his back and got them to the NFC Divisional Round.
Commanders Have Uphill Battle in Free Agency
While Daniels could very well play his well back into a market-setting contract, it doesn’t look good.
The Commanders are no longer an attractive destination for free agents — mainly because head coach Dan Quinn enters his 3rd season firmly on the hot seat.
Daniels can’t really look to the NFL draft for help, either. The Commanders used their 1st round pick in 2025 on offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and are in desperate need of defensive help in 2026 — meaning that pick is almost certainly going to someone they think can be a plug-and-play starter on defense.