After winning the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year award, an elbow injury has limited Jayden Daniels's sophomore season to just seven games. The Washington Commanders officially ruled their star quarterback out for the year on Monday, much to his dismay.

Although Daniels understands the decision, he is admittedly “frustrated” with how his second season has gone. The 24-year-old spoke to reporters for the first time since the announcement on Tuesday to explain how miserable his 2025 campaign has been.

“I don't want to miss games at all,” Daniels said, via ESPN's John Keim. “I've been frustrated this whole season missing games. I want to be out there to help my teammates as much as possible. It's been a frustrating year, but you learn from it and move forward.”

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Daniels initially suffered the injury with a nasty dislocation late in a Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He spent the ensuing three games on the sideline before attempting to return in Week 14 and re-injuring his elbow after throwing an interception.

Daniels might have been able to physically recover by Week 18, but the Commanders have no reason to push their franchise quarterback. Washington beat the New York Giants for the second time in Week 15 but was still officially eliminated from the playoffs.

After hitting the ground running in 2024, Daniels ends year two with 1,262 passing yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. His rushing production also took a nosedive, from 52.4 rushing yards per game in 2024 to 39.7 yards per game in 2025.

The Commanders will now end the year with Marcus Mariota under center. Mariota is averaging 215.3 passing yards, 1.4 touchdowns and 0.7 interceptions in his first seven starts of the year. The veteran has led the team to a 2-5 record, the same as Daniels.