When Peyton Manning talks about a quarterback, people listen. The NFL legend left no doubt about his opinion on Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels before he took the field for his postseason debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Daniels leads Washington into Tampa's Raymond James Stadium following a historic rookie year. He finished the regular season with 3,568 passing yards and 25 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. On the ground, he added 891 rushing yards and six more touchdowns.
Manning certainly couldn't run like Daniels, but he drew comparisons between Daniels' rookie season and his own.
His comments on Kevin Clark's "This is Football" show — which is produced by Manning's Omaha Productions — signaled a bright future ahead for the former Heisman Trophy winner.
"He's been awesome," said the former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback.
"You can tell Jayden and Kliff (Kingsbury) kind of hit the ground running," Manning added, praising Washington's offensive coordinator as well. "I think the system fit Jayden. You could tell he picked it up fast."
That's where Manning reflected on his own career. He went 3-13 his rookie year with the Colts and threw 28 interceptions.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer said he would "pray that the first read was open," whereas Daniels already seems "calm and collected" in big moments in his first pro season.
Daniels is the overwhelming favorite to win 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, with odds as lopsided as -20000, according to DraftKings Virginia.
With Manning in his corner, Daniels will hope to capitalize on the hype when the Commanders go for their first playoff win since 2006 on "Sunday Night Football" against Baker Mayfield and the Bucs.
