Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Enjoyed the Bye But Stayed in Football Mode

Between toy drives, a trip home, and a visit to a local children's hospital, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels had an eventful bye week.

Dec 1, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball Tennessee Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (56) during the second half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Bye weeks are opportunities for players on teams like the Washington Commanders to get some rest, take a break from the grind that is the NFL season, and sometimes reconnect with the communities they come from and live in.

For Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, his first NFL bye week was a chance to do it all.

Before visiting the Children's National Hospital in his local Washington community this week Daniels went back home to southern California where he held a holiday toy drive back at his high school. An opportunity and event that brought him some respite, but also an opportunity to show that he hasn't forgotten where he came from.

Dec 1, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball Tennessee Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (56) during the second half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

“I stayed moving around, didn't do too much, kind of let the body, mind and soul rest and reset. But I was out there to be able to spend time with family and friends, and blessed enough to do a toy drive back in my whole high school,” Daniels said of his bye week activities.

“It’s dope. I love being able to see the joy on kids' faces. And obviously during different circumstances, obviously at the children's hospital yesterday, just be able to go out there and bring some joy with them, interact with them. And then back home, be able to get some toys to some people that might be less fortunate and might be struggling to provide for their kids with some toys. So, it was dope to be able to be a part of that.” 

While he was enjoying the 'bigger than football' moments of the week Daniels never let football get too far away from his mind though. Something that is expected from a rookie who shows the work ethic of a seasoned pro and a passion for the game that is both natural and enduring.

"I kind of stay in that mode," Daniels said when asked if its been hard at all to get back to football after the break. "I know what's ahead of us and we gotta go out there and compete and try to win some football games. But I mean, it's always good to step back for a minute and kind of just reset and take the football hat off and just, we could be able to go out there and be a regular person. Not get caught up in, ‘Oh, I gotta watch film,’ or do this, or I gotta go lift and stuff like that. It is good to kind of just reset, be around the people that kept me grounded and keep me humble. And it was, but once I knew I got back out here, I knew it was time to go.”

Not only is it time to get back to playing, it's time to get back to winning, something the Commanders did the last time they were on the field hosting the Tennessee Titans.

That win put Washington one step closer to securing a playoff spot, a great achievement for any team, let alone one with a rookie quarterback drafted No. 2 overall just this year.

Beating the New Orleans Saints this weekend is going to take focus, and a team effort, and features an opponent that will not give any leeway for a team if it struggles to regain its football footing. Fortunately, it looks like Daniels and his teammates never let the reality of their situation stray too far while getting some much-deserved rest and relaxation.

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