Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels may not be guaranteed the starting job, but that doesn't mean he isn't getting paid. Daniels has landed a four-year, $37.75 million contract that includes a $24.3 million signing bonus, his agent Ron Butler told Ian Rapoport of NFL media.
Daniels, who was selected by the Commanders with the second overall pick of the NFL Draft in April, is the highest draft pick to sign thus far.
The news of Daniels' deal comes on the heels of head coach Dan Quinn declining to officially name the LSU product the team's starting signal-caller. Of course, that could just be standard procedure on Quinn's part. Chances are, Daniels is the favorite to start under center for Washington in Week 1, but because it's so early, Quinn may not want to declare anything just yet.
Daniels' primary competition for the job is Marcus Mariota, who the Commanders signed in free agency. Ironically enough, Mariota is a former No. 2 overall pick himself, but he never really materialized.
Can Jayden Daniels elevate a starving Commanders franchise?
The Commanders have been searching for a franchise quarterback for what seems like forever.
Last season, Washington rolled with Sam Howell as its starter, but ended up giving up on him after just one season. The Commanders' best quarterback of the last couple of decades was probably Kirk Cousins, but they allowed him to sign with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency back in 2018.
Daniels could change the trajectory of Washington, however.
The 23-year-old is coming off of a fantastic 2023 campaign at LSU in which he threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.2 percent of his passes. In addition, he rushed for 1,134 yards and 10 scores. He won the Heisman Trophy for his efforts.
Daniels was largely viewed as one of the most NFL-ready quarterbacks in this draft class, and some viewed him as the most prepared.
The question is, does he have enough talent around him in Washington to succeed in Year 1?
The Commanders do have some solid weapons in the form of wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. They also selected fellow wide out Luke McCaffrey and tight end Ben Sinnott in the draft, so they certainly have some nice young talent.
That being said, Washington's offensive line needs a whole lot of work. The Commanders tried to address it in free agency, signing center Tyler Biadasz, and while that's a good move, they still need to add some more pieces.
Regardless of how talented Daniels is, he is going to need protection, and Washington may not be suited to provide that for him on a consistent basis in 2024.
That may also give Quinn and the staff some pause about making Daniels the starter right off the bat, as they last thing the Commanders want to do is potentially ruin Daniels for the future.
Washington has made the playoffs a grand total of six times since 1993 and has won just two postseason games during that span. The franchise's last playoff victory came all the way back in January 2006.
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