University of Kwazulu-Natal

Why Jayden Daniels Could Become The Greatest Rookie Quarterback Ever

Bonisiwe Shabane
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why jayden daniels could become the greatest rookie quarterback ever

Jayden Daniels began his NFL career as the draft’s second pick, but that is not how his rookie season will be remembered. Because few quarterbacks in league history have had as many firsts as Washington’s 24-year-old wunderkind quarterback. Daniels rushed for 891 yards in the regular season, first all time among rookie quarterbacks. In his playoff debut, Washington got its first postseason win since 2005. And in his second postseason game, he beat the NFC’s top seed to lead the Commanders to their first conference title game since 1991. His 46 postseason completions are first all time among rookie quarterbacks.

With six more passing yards, Daniels will pass Russell Wilson to rank first among postseason passing yards by a rookie. C.J. Stroud's unbelievable and historic rookie season came with a warning: Don't expect anything like this to happen again soon. Rookies don't usually make the NFL look easy, especially at quarterback. Then Jayden Daniels came along with the Washington Commanders, and he raised the bar up again. Daniels' unbelievable rookie season will continue in the NFC championship game Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

He has been so good, he has opponents calling him the greatest rookie quarterback in NFL history. "Jayden Daniels, man. He's an amazing kid man," Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. said on his podcast, via CMNDERS on X. "Even though he's a hellified player, man, the more reason I've got the most up respect for him man, is because he's a very, very humble dude, man. "To see what he's doing as a rookie, I will say he's the greatest rookie quarterback ever.

Ever." To call it historic might be putting it lightly. The Washington Commanders have had a miraculous turnaround in just one season, going from a four-win team to an NFC Championship Game appearance. At the center of their success has been one man: rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. With the improbable, and at times unbelievable, success that Daniels and the franchise have enjoyed this season, legacy and all-time conversations are already running rampant. While there is no official verdict, many are starting to believe that we may be watching the greatest NFL rookie quarterback season of all time.

There is enough evidence to support the claim. From his dual threat in the passing and running games to the incredible poise he’s shown late in games, Daniels has been sensational to watch. Yet, his heroics translating to the playoffs have led conversations to reach a fever pitch. In the Divisional Round, Daniels was facing off against the No. 1 seed in the conference and Super Bowl favorites, the Detroit Lions. Rather than wilt under pressure, the rookie led a supercharged offense, securing multiple third and fourth downs to keep them in the game, and eventually won 45-31.

But, even before the final buzzer went off, Jim Rome was ready to crown Daniels. Doesn’t it seem like Jayden Daniels’ historic rookie season has been hyped up less than C.J. Stroud’s rookie year? If you think so, you aren’t crazy. Because Daniels is putting together an even more impressive year than Stroud and as he takes the league by storm, he might just be putting together the best rookie season by any quarterback in... Around the Associations is a reader-supported publication.

To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. So, why has Daniels gone slightly under the radar? I have three main reasons with the first being Stroud. Everything is better the first time. It had been 12 years since we’d seen a rookie QB combine outstanding play, playoff contention, and dragging a previously terrible team to success. Justin Herbert had all of the eye-popping statistics in 2020, but his team was 7-9.

Mac Jones’ Patriots were the one seed after 14 weeks and made the playoffs in 2024, but never showed the traits of being a true one-of-one talent. Dak Prescott went 13-3 with great stats in 2016 but was drafted by a Cowboys team that was only two years removed on a 12-4 record and a divisional round birth. Stroud had all three things to his name which made him a media darling and a one-of-a-kind specimen to young fans who weren’t old enough to see RGIII or any of the rookie studs... Jayden has put together a marvelous season-long stat line, looks incredible while doing it, has led a previous four-win team to 12 wins, and has them in the middle of a playoff run. But because Stroud did it first, it feels less impressive. Secondly, Washington’s playoff position was nearly locked in with a month left to play in the season.

Going back to Stroud, one of the most fascinating subplots of his rookie campaign was whether or not he’d be able to lead the Texans to the playoffs. Week after week, Houston inched closer and eventually summited the mountain by beating Indianapolis in week 18 and winning the AFC South. Washington on the other hand, was the presumed sixth or seventh seed since week 14. After beating the Titans 42-19 to improve to 8-5, they held a two-game Wild Card lead over the Falcons and Cardinals, and a one-game lead over the Rams, but either the Rams or Seattle... They ultimately punched their ticket after week 16 leaving little reason to pay attention to them for the final two weeks of the season. Thirdly, and most importantly, our recency bias kicked in.

Although Daniels is arguably playing his best football of the year, his most impressive statistics came in weeks 1 through 6 when he was completing nearly 80% of his passes and leading the Commanders’... What keeps fans looped in is gradual growth throughout the season, leaving us asking, “How much better can this guy possibly play?” By playing his best statistical football at the start of the season,... No debate in the NFL feels more susceptible to recency bias than the one over the best rookie quarterback season ever, but Washington Commanders first-round pick Jayden Daniels might have just ended the discussion. Throughout modern NFL history, more than two dozen rookie quarterbacks have been part of playoff runs, and plenty of rookies have thrown a lot of touchdowns or been among the league leaders in passing... Daniels has done all of that. He has already led the Commanders to a stunning turnaround in his first season—14 wins, including two this postseason—and he’s just one win away from becoming the first rookie quarterback to reach a Super...

He’s been remarkably accurate and efficient as a passer, dangerous as a scrambler, and extremely poised in crunch time, leading five game-winning drives—including a Hail Mary touchdown he threw against Chicago in Week 8. Eagles defensive play caller Vic Fangio is one of just three NFL coordinators over the age of 60, and if there’s anyone who can speak to whether a player has earned his press clippings,... And, when Fangio was asked this week whether Daniels was having the best rookie season he’d seen from a quarterback, his shrugging affirmation may as well have been a shouting endorsement. “Yeah,” Fangio said. “He’s a young quarterback by birth certificate [but] not by the tape. The guy is playing extremely well.

You can tell how much they think he’s playing good by the things they trust him to do, and he’s come through for them in a big way.” Let’s put Daniels’s performance in context with the other contenders for the best rookie season ever—most of which have happened in the past 20 years, as it’s become far more common for rookie quarterbacks... For decades, Dan Marino was the gold standard for rookie passers: In 1983, he threw 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions while leading the league in adjusted net yards per attempt. He was a second-team All-Pro and finished third in MVP voting. In the aughts, we got Ben Roethlisberger, who in 2004 took over a championship-caliber roster and went 13-0 as the Steelers’ starter in the regular season and lost in the AFC championship game, and... One year ago, the Washington Commanders didn't have a head coach or a long-term answer at quarterback.

The team had just finished the 2023 NFL season with the second-worst record in the league and the worst scoring defense. Now, they're one game away from the franchise's first trip to the Super Bowl since the 1991 NFL season after a 12-5 season. The defense is improved under head coach Dan Quinn and a host of free agent additions but the biggest catalyst for the turnaround has been rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington selected the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. He started from Week 1 on and led the Commanders to the No.

5 scoring offense in the regular season as a dual-threat quarterback. But how does he compare to other great rookie quarterbacks in NFL history? Here's some context for what Daniels and Washington have achieved in their first year together. Since 1950, 132 quarterbacks have started at least eight games in their rookie seasons. That's a lot of rookie campaigns to choose from. Is Jayden Daniels the greatest rookie QB of all time?

Joey Pollizze analyzes Jayden Daniels' rookie season and where it ranks all time among quarterbacks. The Washington Commanders were able to draft their franchise quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. After the Chicago Bears selected Caleb Williams with the first pick, the Commanders took Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick. Daniels was coming off a Heisman-winning season at LSU, where he threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. That play style immediately translated to the NFL, as the 24-year-old had one of the greatest rookie quarterback seasons of all time.

But is Daniels' 2024 campaign the best rookie season we have ever seen from a quarterback in NFL history? Let's dive in and find out. It usually takes rookie quarterbacks a while to get accustomed to the NFL level. However, Daniels' patience and poise in the pocket were immediately on display in his first career game. Although the Commanders lost 37-20 to the Buccaneers in the season opener, there were plenty of positives to take away from the 24-year-old.

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