Jayden Daniels took the NFL by storm in 2024. The Washington Commanders’ rookie quarterback broke numerous records and led his team to its best season in 33 years, two road playoff wins and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The future is bright for Daniels and the Commanders. But critics will tell you to be careful in expecting Daniels to repeat his 2024 success, often pointing to Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud led the Texans from worst to first in 2023, breaking numerous rookie quarterback records before struggling at times in 2024.
Ultimately, Stroud settled down to have a solid second season, but some were disappointed that he didn’t take a more significant step forward in 2024.
Kurt Warner can say he’s lived in Daniels and Stroud’s shoes. The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback was thrust into a starting role in 1999 after Trent Green’s injury and would lead the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl as a first-year starter.
A two-time MVP winner, Warner enjoyed a 12-year career before retiring, but things weren’t always as easy as they were in his first year as a starter.
Last week, in town for Super Bowl LIX, Warner joined Grant Paulsen of the “Grant and Danny” show on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., where he discussed Daniels.
“He’s a really good player. I know sometimes we get caught up in rookies aren’t supposed to be successful, but I can go back to ’99 when I felt I was a good player and so I played well, and that’s what I think about Jayden Daniels,” Warner said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “You watched him last year win the Heisman, and coming out, you knew that if everything you saw on tape translated to the NFL, this kid’s gonna be a phenomenal player because he can do everything really, really well. And I think that’s what we saw this year.”
Warner was most impressed by Daniels’ poise and how nothing ever rattled him.
Warner already believes Daniels is a big-time NFL quarterback. However, he believes some should tone down their expectations for Daniels. Not because he thinks Daniels can’t exceed them but because if Daniels takes even a small step back in 2024, it will be held against him because of the bar he set in 2024.
“Jayden’s gonna put in the work, and sometimes, you have off games or off seasons, but you don’t go into things thinking, he’s gonna have a sophomore slump, or, he’s got to be better than he was this year,” Warner said.
“To me, it’s always about letting it play its course. I’m always a believer of give me three years of seeing a guy, because there’s going to be ebbs and flows, but then I can tell you who I believe he is as a quarterback. So I think the hard thing is having a year like this is you guys are going to come back and go, if he doesn’t do better than this, then what’s wrong? But if he just drops a little bit from what he did this year, it’s still gonna be a phenomenal season for him, so we have to put things in perspective. You’ve got a really good quarterback who I believe is going to be good for a long time, let him show us who he is over a few years and let it play out – I think you’re going to see that Jayden Daniels is going to be a solid NFL starter for a long time.”
This is very good advice from Warner. He had a phenomenal start to his career before crashing down to earth a few years later. Warner recovered and was still playing at a high level when he retired after the 2009 season.
These days, there is always a hurry to anoint or crown someone immediately. That happens in football, other sports, or even the workplace. Daniels doesn’t need to put up better statistics in 2025 to prove his rookie wasn’t a fluke. He understands what needs to be done to take the next step, and there’s no reason to doubt next season will be just as big for Daniels.