Jayden Daniels is an American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Commanders. Daniels was born on December 18, 2000, to Javon Daniels and Regina Jackson in Fontana, California and raised in nearby San Bernardino. Daniels was introduced to football at the age of five where he played flag football and contact football by the age of seven. He also ran track, played basketball and soccer as a youth.
Daniels attended Cajon High School in San Bernardino, California. During his freshman year he played on the school varsity team, leading them to the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) Inland Division playoffs before being eliminated in the semifinals. He set a state record during his junior year with over 6,400 total yards during that season when he helped lead the team to a Citrus Belt League (CBL) championship and an appearance in the Division 2-AA state finals. During his senior year, Daniels led the team to another CBL championship and an appearance in the CIF-SS Division 3 championship. He was also named the men’s recipient of the Ken Hubbs Award which is given top high school athletes in the San Bernardino area. Daniels graduated from Cajon High School in 2019.
After graduating, Daniels attended Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona where he played for the Arizona State Sun Devils Football team then coached by Herm Edwards. During his freshman year, Daniel led the Sun Devils to an 8-5 regular season record. He also led the team to the 2019 Sun Bowl and defeated the Florida State Seminoles. Daniel set the Sun Devils freshman total yards record and was named a semi-finalist for the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) “Freshman of the Year” Award.
In 2022, Daniels transferred to Louisiana State University (LSU) where he played for the LSU Tigers Football Team. During the 2022 season, Daniels led the Tigers to a 9-3 record and an appearance to the SEC Championship game where they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs. The next season, Daniels won the 2023 Heisman Trophy after scoring 50 touchdowns and leading the NCAA with nearly 5,000 total yards. During his college career, he finished in the top ten in FBS history with 16,000 total yards, along with 12,000 passing yards, and 3,000 rushing yards.
Daniels declared himself eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft and was selected second overall by the Washington Commanders. During his rookie season, Daniels led the Commanders to a 12-5 regular season record including throwing a game-winning 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to wide receiver Noah Brown against the Chicago Bears in a game that would be known as Hail Maryland. Daniels finished the regular season with the most rushing yards (891) and highest completion percentage (69%) by a rookie quarterback. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl in 2025.
Daniels led the Commanders in the 2024-2025 NFL Playoffs where they defeated the Tampa Bay (Florida) Buccaneers and Detroit (Michigan) Lions. However, Daniels and the Commanders were defeated by the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Eagles led by Jalen Hurts in the NFC championship game. Despite the loss, Daniels’ rookie season in the NFL was considered one of the greatest in the league history. Daniels NFL career continues as of 2025.
