Jayden Daniels was apparently unhappy when he saw that the Commanders were interviewing other quarterbacks along with him. It was supposedly his understanding from the conversations he’d had through his team that Washington was all in on him, and only him. Well if that was the case, the news about their un-drafted rookie signing might just elevate his contempt towards his potential new home.
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After picking a quarterback with the 2nd overall pick, Adam Peters and co went ahead and picked an undrafted quarterback as well. Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman has found a home in the robust new franchise. And Dan Quinn should look forward to see a uniquely young and competitive dynamic in the quarterback room.
Commanders QBs now:
Jayden Daniels
Marcus Mariota
Jeff Driskel
Jake Fromm
Sam Hartman— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 27, 2024
The most interesting part about the Hartman deal with Washington is the guaranteed money he’s bagged. According to multiple sources, his contract will include a $20,000 signing bonus, along with a $225,000 guaranteed element attached to his deal. More often than not, undrafted agents sign a league minimum of $750,000. But not all of them see the full amount. Or even get cut early into their signing.
Thus, having a guaranteed element in the contract would indicate something more than just a punt for the Commanders. According to Tom Pellissero, this hints at a larger role for Sam Hartman than just riding the bench. But how that impacts Jayden Daniels is a big question.
Social Media Reacts to Sam Hartman Signing With Washington
Jayden Daniels could also be one of those people who elevate when challenged. So it might be a good decision for the Commanders to put him with another young hopeful. And, Jim Nagy also noted on X, that Daniels was working out with Hartman before the draft. Thus, chemistry might not be an issue.
Sam spent entire pre-draft process training with Jayden Daniels so there should be good chemistry in that QB room. Like this signing.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) April 28, 2024
But other social media users were not so optimistic:
Odd they would sign him. I don’t understand these teams putting undo pressure on their players. Push Daniels with Sam Howell (sigh)…why do they need to go and do this?!
— Jagged Sports (@Jagged_Sports) April 28, 2024
And some talked about the difference between the two:
Fuck it. New Commanders QB Sam Hartman Highlights
Interesting pick. Sam is a completely different QB from Jayden however Sam’s “pocket presence” & toughness gets him a home in DC #Raisehail pic.twitter.com/6oj5Jx0XM5
— Commando Mane (@Commando_Mane) April 28, 2024
However, most of the conversations shifted towards his looks, one way or another. There were quick comparisons with Jimmy G.
Jimmy G East
— ΛЦƧƬΣЯIƬY IƧ MЦЯDΣЯ (@sdgrumbine) April 28, 2024
Jimmy G 2.0
— reply guy (@fatally_yourz) April 28, 2024
he looks like gardner minshew using a handsome snapchat filter
— a girl with no face ⚡️ (@Stop_Hammerzeit) April 28, 2024
They’re signing him to be a model not a player
— JR (@AFC_Elite) April 28, 2024
Sam himself made light of the situation by posting a Batman reference on Instagram:
Sam Hartman with a Batman The Dark Knight Rises reference is all I need to see. That’s QB2. #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/x1Ws2gTpye
— CouchGM (@ronriveraburner) April 28, 2024
He even had somewhat of a prediction when the two players he named in his interview during the Combine were Luke McCaffrey and Jayden Daniels. Watch here:
At the combine, #Commanders QB Sam Hartman did a “Fastest 40” interview, how many ?’s about yourself can you answer in 40 sec.
Peep the 2 players he happens to mention at the end . What are the odds? @TheyAlreadyKnew #RaiseHail
Full interview here: https://t.co/k4irPcYL1t pic.twitter.com/HNZywCkwWi
— T M (@reshmanuel) April 28, 2024
The quarterback room in Washington will be one to really look out for. The stories coming out of there during Dan Quinn’s first season as head coach should not disappoint. If nothing, fans will see two competitive young men fighting for a job that also has Marcus Mariotta in the mix. It looks like a veteran, a top 2 draft prospect, and an undrafted free agent went into a bar, but they realized it was actually the Commanders’ QB room.