No rookie quarterback in recent memory has had the kind of success Jayden Daniels enjoyed in his historic 2024 campaign for the Commanders. The former LSU Tiger didn’t merely meet expectations after being selected second overall in the Draft—he shattered them.
Advertisement
Daniels completed 69% of his passes for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns, led his team in rushing with 891 yards, and helped take the Commanders to their first conference title game appearance in 33 years. As a result, Daniels became the unanimous Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he made it all look easy.
The calmness and unshakable composure he displayed under the brightest spotlight wasn’t a fluke, either. It’s just who he is, as revealed in his latest appearance on the Living Well podcast.
When asked about how he stays cool under pressure, especially with the cameras catching his stoic expressions mid-game, Daniels downplayed any grand secret. “I just focus on things I can control… I try to stay even-keeled the whole time and just go out there and perform,” he said.
The youngster did admit that he gets frustrated at times, but it doesn’t linger. “After that, [I’m] moving on to the next play or the next thing, moving forward.”
Still, Daniels follows a routine, especially before kickoff.
“Once I’m done with pregame warmup and I get back in the locker room, the first thing I do—I call my dad no matter what,” he shared. “If he’s at the game, if he’s not, I call him and we pray. It’s something I’ve been doing my whole life.”
From there, his ritual continues with a moment of locked-in solitude: “Then I’ll put the towel over my head and just get in that mode… and when I take the towel off, it’s time to go out there and do whatever it takes to win.”
Simply put, Jayden Daniels undergoes an unconventional mental warm-up that matches his physical one. It’s a preparation rooted in habit and familiarity. “When I get to the stadium, I’ve got like a routine set with one of the coaches,” Daniels explained. “We go through and make sure everything’s moving functionally how it’s supposed to, and I feel good.”
And then there’s his gameday diet, which reflects both his easygoing nature and youthfulness. “I eat waffles on gameday,” Daniels said with a smile.
“No matter if we play at night or in the morning, I’m always eating some waffles. That’s my go-to.” And depending on how hungry he is, the Commanders QB switches it up, having usually two or sometimes three waffles as part of his game-day meal.
And what helps Daniels give his hundred per cent every day on the field? He does so by not forgetting the joy that first drew him to football. “At the end of the day, it’s a game we all played as kids,” he said at the Fanatics Fest. “So it’s still that passion and joy I had when I was six or seven years old, just running around… having fun with my friends in the backyard.”
It’s this balance, the composure under pressure, the grounded routine, and the deep love for the game that have even veteran legends like Joe Montana and Dan Marino sing his praises recently. And as Jayden Daniels himself said, he doesn’t want to be remembered just for what he did in year one. “I want to be known in my second year and so on and so forth.”
Safe to say, Daniels is a legend in the making… because mentally, he’s already there.
