Two years ago, Jayden Daniels led the Washington Commanders to their best season in 33 years. Washington won 12 regular-season games and reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 season. The Commanders beat the NFC’s top seed, Detroit, before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game.
Daniels was already being mentioned as one of the NFL’s top-five quarterbacks for 2025. Unfortunately, 2025 happened, and Daniels dealt with multiple injuries, including a dislocated elbow, that cost him 10 games.
The Commanders changed offensive coordinators in the offseason, promoting David Blough to the position to surround Daniels with a modern NFL offense that featured more work under center
and an emphasis on the traditional running game. Daniels had a terrific training camp. After a slow start in Week 1, he almost led the Commanders to a comeback win over the Eagles.
Last week, Daniels looked like his 2024 self on the road against the Cowboys. He had Washington in a position to tie at the end of the first half when left guard Chris Paul stepped on his foot, causing Daniels to fall. In the process, he attempted to break the fall with his left (non-throwing) arm and injured his elbow. It was the same elbow he dislocated last November.
Washington fans were stunned. Upset. Fortunately, Daniels and the Commanders received good news this week. Not only will Daniels not need surgery, but he’s considered ‘week-to-week,’ per head coach Dan Quinn.
When Daniels returns, which will be sooner rather than later, he’ll be wearing a brace. It will be bulky, but it shouldn’t affect anything he does on the field. It’s more about Daniels learning to play with it.
After the 2024 season, fans and analysts wondered whether Daniels would eventually become the NFL’s first $100 million (annually) quarterback when he first became eligible for an extension. Daniels is eligible for his first NFL extension after this season.
How will his latest injury impact that potential extension? Washington is in a tricky spot. When Daniels is on the field, he’s elite. He can carry the franchise. He’s done it before. But as they’ve always said, the best ability is availability. If the Commanders can’t count on Daniels to play every week, should they hold off on an extension?
The good news is they have time. Washington will pick up Daniels’ fifth-year option next spring. He will have two more years under contract, and then — and no one wants to hear this — there is also the franchise tag.
NFL insider Jonathan Jones of The Athletic recently spoke with multiple NFL executives about Daniels.
“If I’m the kid, I get the surgery,” one NFL team executive says. “I get it might put the team in a weird spot. … I wouldn’t pay him without the surgery.”
Daniels consulted with multiple experts from around the country. They determined he didn’t have to get the surgery. Another note: other NFL teams and Twitter doctors haven’t seen Daniels’ medicals. If Daniels chooses to undergo surgery, he could wait until the end of the season.
Here’s another NFL executive:
“Him coming back early is the riskiest outcome for a team that’s on the fringe of making the playoffs (even if he is) 100 percent.”
There is always risk. Washington certainly wasn’t going to rush Daniels back. And if the medical experts had recommended surgery, the Commanders could have urged Daniels to have it. That’s not what happened. So, yeah, Daniels is taking a risk, but so is every other NFL player on every snap.
Finally, the third NFL executive said this to Jones:
“I would wait to pay him until I see him fully healthy. I’m OK overspending on the QB position if I’m sure on the guy, because the difference in $70 million per year versus $75 million is nonexistent. If they have to wait, so be it. It’s not an uncommon thing, and the Commanders would have a very logical defense in that, ‘We need to know you’ll remain healthy.’”
This is certainly a reasonable point of view. It’s also risky from the team’s perspective because, in some situations, you can damage the relationship. Daniels doesn’t seem like that type of person, but feelings can get involved when money is on the line. But Washington would be right to want to see Daniels stay healthy before committing franchise-changing money to him.
The Commanders are ready to pay big-time money to Daniels. Washington has yearned for a franchise quarterback. But the franchise must also protect itself. If Daniels returns to the lineup and plays like everyone believes he can and will, this is a moot point. An extension will get done in the offseason. If he has to miss more time, there’s still no rush.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: How Jayden Daniels' injury impacts future contract negotiations with Commanders
