Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels should win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award this season, and most believe it shouldn't even be a question.
Daniels has breathed new life into a down-on-its-luck franchise that hit the reset button after switching owners and firing its head coach and general manager.
The LSU alum led an eight-win turnaround during his rookie year, and he's run the table in the playoffs, knocking off the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 and the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions 45-31 in back-to-back weeks to lead the Commanders to their first NFC championship game appearance since 1991.
Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that he's done it while scoring four touchdowns without turning the ball over, and Washington has punted just one time on 19 offensive possessions in the playoffs.
The Commanders also announced Daniels had made history following Saturday's divisional-round win as his 5,113 combined yards (4,135 passing, 978 rushing) are the most ever in a single season by any rookie in NFL history.
The team promptly gave him a shoutout on social media, tweeting "That Kid" with a graphic acknowledging his history-making accomplishment.
That Kid.@JayD__5 | #RaiseHailpic.twitter.com/XIn7g5JE1q
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 20, 2025
The Commanders aren't the only ones who've taken note of what Daniels has accomplished this season.
Houston Texans quarterback and close friend C.J Stroud, who had a record-breaking rookie season of his own just last year, praised the 24-year-old rookie on Monday for his record-breaking season.
"I'm super proud of him," Stroud told reporters. "In my opinion, he's had the best rookie year of all-time. That's what records are meant (for) - records are meant to break. He's broken a lot of things. … I don't root for many other teams, but I'm rooting for my boy and I'm rooting for the Commanders."
