Commanders’ $37 Million Rookie ‘King of D.C.’ Earns Postseason Honor

This is probably going to start sounding really familiar over the next few months, so we should all just get used to it now.

Try it out with us: Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has been named the winner of the (insert award here).

Rinse. Repeat.

Daniels, who has already been named a Pro Bowler, was named Pro Football Talk’s Offensive Rookie of the Year on January 7 — one of many such honors he will likely pick up on the way to eventually being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

“(Daniels) also led the Commanders to a playoff berth in a year that was supposed to be a rebuilding season, adding 891 rushing yards (a record for rookie quarterbacks) and six touchdowns,” PFT’s Mike Florio wrote. “As we close in on inaugurating a new president, Daniels already has been crowned the king of D.C. And there’s no reason to think he won’t keep getting better and better.”

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers finished second in the voting, followed by Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who led his team to the postseason for the first time since the Broncos won the Super Bowl with quarterback Peyton Manning following the 2015 season.

Commanders Have Best Record Since 1991

Behind the strength of Daniels’ virtuoso rookie season, the Commanders finished the regular season 12-5 for their best record since they went 14-2 in 1991 and won their third Super Bowl in a decade under head coach Joe Gibbs. Washington actually made it to another Super Bowl in that decade and also played in the NFC Championship Game in another year.

The Commanders will now face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round on January 12 as they try to win their first playoff game since 2005.

Daniels proved to be a franchise changer for the Commanders after he was selected No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft after winning the Heisman Trophy at LSU in 2023 and signed a 4-year, $37.7 million rookie contract.

Daniels was 1 of 6 quarterbacks selected in the first round, tying the 1983 NFL draft for the most quarterbacks selected in the first round.

Commanders Picked to Fall in NFC Wild Card

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell did a massive deep dive into the NFL playoffs on January 9, picking every single playoff game all the way to the Super Bowl — 13 playoff games in total.

Barnwell picked the Commanders to fall to the Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card, 27-24. The Buccaneers defeated the Commanders, 37-20, in the regular season opener on September 8 in Tampa Bay.

“The injuries in the secondary, a problem for most of the season, have led the Bucs to be more conservative than usual, as they rank 13th in blitz rate and last in man-to-man coverage rate,” Barnwell wrote. “Daniels has found a lot of success attacking zone coverage this season, as he ranks fourth in EPA per play versus zone. The Bucs don’t have the defensive backs to switch up things and play more man-to-man coverage.”

Daniels broke the NFL rookie record with 891 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns in 2024 and had 88 rushing yards against the Buccaneers in the season opener.