‘That Kid Jayden’ Makes San Bernardino Proud

By Willie Ellison
“He has a different kind of poise”… “He’s a different competitor”… “He’s special”… “This is the greatest rookie season for a quarterback in the history of the NFL.” These quotes aren’t just barber shop talk. This is what’s being said about rookie sensation Jayden Daniels by former NFL greats, current NFL coaches and players, and every network and podcast sports analyst.
Daniels, the Washington Commanders No.2 overall draft pick, has been dominating national headlines all season long. The seemingly shoe in for Offensive Rookie of the Year is at the top of the news cycle again for his recent performance during the Washington Commanders dismantling of the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Championship. With the 45-31 win over the heavily favored Detroit Lions, the Commanders have earned a spot in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles and are one win away from a trip to the Super Bowl. During the Commanders stunning win, future Hall of Famer Tom Brady was at a loss for words when talking about Daniels’ poise under pressure. Brady also awarded Daniels with the Player of the Game Award after the game.
Daniels, a native of San Bernardino, has had that demeanor since playing Junior All-American Football for the San Bernardino Hawks at the age of 10. He has always been calm and poised, it’s in his pedigree. His father Javon Daniels was a local standout football player. When he played, he too was always calm and laid back under pressure. He would make a big play and just get ready for the next play without much celebration. That was his personality then, and still is.
“That’s his temperament,” said the elder Daniels. “We don’t talk about it now, but he was taught very young about maintaining composure,” he added.
The elder Daniels was a 6’2” corner back with 4.3 speed. He was recruited by the University of Washington out of high school but decided to go to the local community college to improve his skills. After two years of dominating at the junior college level he received a scholarship to Iowa State.
Jayden Daniels said early on that he wanted to be an NFL football player, and according to his father, he was serious when he made that declaration. “Once he said he wanted to go to the NFL we started putting in the work,” said Javon Daniels.
Young Daniels excelled at every level. His talent, skill set and work ethic was far superior to most kids his age. Not to mention that he has very supporting parents that helped him pursue his dream.
When Daniels reached high school, he was listed as a 14 year old, 5’10”, 140 lbs. In order to play varsity football, he had to get a doctor’s note. After he was cleared to compete at the varsity level, he became a four year varsity starter at quarterback leading Cajon High School to multiple League Championships and a CIF Championship.
So setting records and performing at a high level is nothing new for Daniels. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU had an NCAA record setting performance against University of Florida to secure the Heisman. Now during his NFL rookie campaign, the record setting continues at the elite level. Daniels has been named NFL Player of Week six times this season, he has had more touchdown passes with under :30 on the clock for comeback wins than any other quarterback in NFL history and he recently set a regular season rookie record with 891 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. He finished the regular season with 3,568 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. With his post-season stats added in, Daniels rookie season is even more historic. Including the numbers from his 23-20 win over No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 45-31 win over No. 1 seed Detroit Lions, Daniels has amassed 5,113 yards of total offense including 4,135 passing and 978 rushing. That’s the most ever in a single season by a rookie in NFL history. With another guaranteed game on the books, that number is sure to rise.
Although Daniels makes it look easy, the success is because of the work he puts in day in and day out. The fans see the fruits of labor on Sundays. What they don’t see is him working out at 5:00am, watching film for hours and preparing for the next game. As he mentioned to Tom Brady after the win over Detroit, “I put in the work. I would never cheat the game, I love it too much.”
As Jayden Daniels and Commanders fans wait to see the matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles go down Sunday, January 26, Daniels is back in the lab putting in the work preparing for the clash between the last two teams standing in the NFC. He’s putting in reps and studying film.
“When I’m studying film, I’m just trying to see different things and how they attack certain offenses and things like that,” he said. “The more preparation you can put in throughout the week, the better you can be,” he added.
For many quarterbacks, the games doesn’t slow down for them until the third or fourth year in the league. For Daniels, it looks as if he’s ahead of the game and it’s already slowed down for him.
“Right now I’m still in year one. I would have to wait and see. I can better answer that question next season,” he said.
With his performance and success Daniels has won the hearts of fans around the world, particularly in his hometown of San Bernardino. He has a message for all young kids with big dreams.
“I’m extremely proud being a kid from San Bernardino and want all the young kids to know anything is possible with hard work each and every day,” said young Daniels. “Keep shooting for the stars each and every day,” he concluded.
Daniels rookie campaign has been filled with what dreams are made of. He and his Commanders team have accomplished more than what was expected of them. An organization with new ownership, a new general manager, a new head coach and a rookie quarterback at the helm did more than just defeat other teams to win 12 football games, they defeated the odds.
Week in and week out Daniels proved that on any given Sunday anything is possible. With hard work and dedication, the Commanders are playing for a chance to compete in Super Bowl LIX. Daniels has led his team to victory on six occasions by overcoming deficits with less :30 seconds on the clock. Although football is the ultimate team sport, what Daniels has done in his rookie season to lead his team has been truly magnificent.