“I Keep Them Young”: Jayden Daniels on Managing the Age Gap in His Much Older Locker Room

The Washington Commanders have an older average age among players compared to the rest of the NFL. Leading the pack, though, is 24-year-old Jayden Daniels. And, the youngster says the age difference between him and his teammates hasn’t been an issue. If anything, it’s been more funny than anything else.

Generational gaps are common. What one group of people born during a certain time period values and believes doesn’t always carry over to the next. In modern times, we’ve seen major generational gaps arise between Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha. Most commonly, these gaps appear in communication style, technology usage, and social and political values.

However, while there may be generational gaps in the Commanders’ locker room, they haven’t caused any problems. In fact, Daniels recently said he connects with his older teammates just fine and thinks they enjoy having him around for how he interacts with them.

“I think they like being around me because I keep them young,” Daniels said via Scoop City. 

Nobody really likes to age. It’s a constant reminder that time is passing and that we are one day closer to kicking the can. That’s why we usually like to surround ourselves with things that make us feel younger. Sometimes, those things come in the form of young-spirited people.

But that doesn’t mean Daniels being ever-present in the Commanders’ locker room has completely prevented generational gaps from arising. Most notably, he says he always feels an age difference whenever he talks to linebacker Bobby Wagner, who’s 35. 

“I think [the word] was aura-farming. You know, all of the stuff [slang] that nowadays our generation uses. That be the main thing, Bobby [Wagner] said, ‘Y’all [an odd] generation.’ So, we gotta explain stuff,” shared the second-year QB.

Daniels went on to explain that Wagner has a family, so he doesn’t have time to keep up with the new lingo. But Wagner’s kids often confuse him when they talk about things he doesn’t understand, like the term aura-farming. That’s when Daniels gets to teach his older teammate something for once.

How much older is the Commanders’ locker room compared to other teams? Try the oldest locker room in NFL history. That’s right, with an average age of 27.2 years old, Washington is not just the oldest team in the NFL, but all time. 20 players over the age of 30 help contribute to that figure. 

We’ll see if that veteran-laden roster makes the difference in 2025/26. The Commanders were just one game away from the Super Bowl last season. With Daniels on a cheap rookie contract, it’s clear the team views the next few years as a prime window to win it all. It could very well be the perfect combination of experience and youth.