For the first time since 1992, the Washington Commanders made their way to the NFC Championships. Under the new leadership of Head Coach Dan Quinn, and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, The Commanders have brought back this team in a way that nobody saw coming.
The Washington Commanders were founded in 1932 and were first known as the Boston Braves. They changed their name to “The Redskins” the following year, and moved to Washington DC and became the “Washington Redskins” in 1937. The name The Washington Redskins had always been challenged, and it was changed to the Washington Commanders in 2020. The Commanders started off a very strong team, making it to the playoffs in 1936, and the following year, winning the 1937 NFL Championship. The commanders also won the NFL Championship of 1942. The team went on to win three Super Bowls in 1983, 1988, and 1991. Ever since then, it has been a downhill battle for this team. Washington made it to the playoffs in 1992, losing in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Team did not make it back to the playoffs until 1999, and even so, they lost once again in the divisional round. The next time the team appeared in the playoffs was in 2005, once again losing in the divisional round. Throughout the years, the team made three more playoff appearances in 2012,2015, and 2020, all three being lost in the first round. The commanders, being the worst team in the NFL, were given first draft pick, which is what led them to Jayden Daniels.
Jayden Daniels was born on December 18, 2000, in Fontana, California. He began playing flag football at the age of five and started playing contact football at the age of seven. Daniels continued to play, starting to make a title for himself. He attended Cajon High School and was drafted by Alabama State University. During Daniels’s time at ASU, he had many accomplishments. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2019 Sun Bowl in their win over Florida State. He also set the ASU freshman total yards record. Daniels continued to play at ASU, entering the transfer portal in 2022. He then transferred to Louisiana State University in March 2022. He was named the 2022 season opener and led the Tigers to appear in the 2022 SEC championship. During his time at LSU, Jayden Daniels was named semifinalist for the Davey Obrien Award and was also named the team’s most valuable player accounting for 28 touchdowns and about 3,800 total yards. The following season he set an SEC record with 606 total yards and became the first player in FBS history to have 350 yards in passing, and 200 yards rushing in a single game. A week later, he tied yet another SEC record, against the Georgia State Panthers, scoring eight touchdowns. He also won the 2023 Heisman Trophy, by scoring 50 touchdowns and leading the NCAA with about 5000 yards. Daniels was also the third at LSU to win the Heisman Award. Daniels began to prepare for his NFL draft. In college, he played 55 games and finished in the top ten in FBS history with 16,000 total yards and the only player with 12,000 passing yards as well as 300 yards.
Daniels was drafted by the Commanders as second overall in the 2024 season. Daniels signed his four-year rookie contract on June 14, 2024 which was worth 37.75 million.
By the end of the commander’s training camp, Daniels was named starting quarterback. Right off the bat, Daniels scored two touchdowns in his first game and led the Commanders to a victory in their next game. Then in September, Daniels beat the NFL rookie’s set completion record against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was named the offensive rookie quarterback of the month after he completed the highest number of passes over a four-game span for the first time in NFL history. Daniels also threw a 52-yard hail marry winning pass, against the Chicago Bears. He was put in a position to be considered as a winner for the NFL MVP award about halfway through the season. He finished off his regular season with a total of 891 rushing yards and the highest points per game. He had a total of 891 total rushing yards and 28.5 points per game. He also had the highest percent completion percentage for an NFL rookie, at 69 percent. The commanders were able to finish out the season with a winning score of 12-5, which was the best score since 1991. The commanders then went on to the playoffs, earning their first postseason win in almost two decades. They advanced to the NFC championship, before losing to the Eagles. Even though the Commanders did not make it to the Super Bowl, with Jayden Daniels, the teams’ players were able to shine. This season the Commanders brought a sense of pride back to their name, and under Jayden Daniels, it is very possible that they could win the next Superbowl.
