Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Reveals Thoughts on 'Earning' Starting Job

Jayden Daniels is the starting quarterback for the Washington Commanders.
Aug 10, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 10, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports
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Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is officially the starter after coach Dan Quinn told reporters on Monday that they would be going with the No. 2 overall pick out of LSU.

However, Daniels has bigger goals after "earning" the starting job.

"I haven't earned anything," Daniels said. "What I did in college was great, now it's time for a new new slate, clean slate. So coming in, I gotta come here. I got prove not only to myself, not only to the coaches, but to my teammates, earn respect from those guys because some of those guys were drafted in the same position as me. They had to work for everything they had. For me to come in there and DQ and them were gonna preach competition and you know, you gotta earn everything, man. They can't come in and just give me the job right away, so I gotta go earn it.”

READ MORE: Jayden Daniels Reacts to Being Named Washington Commanders Starting Quarterback

Daniels wasn't satisfied just being the No. 2 overall pick and he didn't act like such. He knows that once you enter the league, you have to earn your stripes and that it doesn't matter where you were drafted.

Undrafted players have gone to the Hall of Fame while top picks have been busts, and Daniels knows that. Now that he has earned the starting job, he can do everything in his power to start winning games and turning things around for the Commanders.


READ MORE: Washington Commanders Receiver Discusses 'Smooth' Connection With QB Jayden Daniels

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.