When Jayden Daniels was drafted second overall by the Washington Commanders last year, expectations were sky-high. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner entered the league touted as a generational dual-threat quarterback capable of reviving a mediocre franchise like the Commanders. And boy, did he bring them back to relevance.
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In his rookie season, Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 31 total touchdowns while rushing for 891 yards. He achieved these numbers with some breathtaking plays in nearly every game. As a result, the 2024 OROY helped the Commanders reach the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991.
But seven weeks into his sophomore season, things have been far from ideal. Daniels has already suffered two injuries before the halfway mark of the campaign, missing two games with a sprained left knee earlier in the season and now leaving Sunday’s 22-44 loss to the Dallas Cowboys with a hamstring issue.
The 23-year-old exited in the third quarter after being sacked and fumbling the ball, immediately clutching his hamstring. And while early reports from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggest the injury isn’t serious, the moment sent a wave of anxiety across Washington.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for fans and commentators to recall a chillingly familiar name whose career downfall began in almost the same way: Robert Griffin III.
Like Daniels, Griffin was a Heisman winner, a No. 2 overall pick, and the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year during his time in Washington. His brilliance lit up the league in 2012, but his career was soon derailed by a series of lower-body injuries that became synonymous with both heartbreak and mismanagement.
Unsurprisingly, the parallels between the two were enough to spark comparisons, comparisons that Jayden Daniels’ own mother, Regina Jackson, has now firmly pushed back against.
Taking to X, Jackson voiced her frustration at the narrative surrounding her son. “I wish you would stop manifesting RGIII on my son. Words are powerful and that’s all that’s talked about,” she wrote.
Jackson’s plea resonated deeply with all as it was a mother’s defense of her son, and a reminder that words can carry weight. Especially in a city where quarterback history is equal parts electric and tragic.
But at the same time, some saw Jackson’s comments as borderline insulting too. Especially with how quickly JD5’s mother dismissed the likeliness with Griffin.
RGIII, for his part, didn’t see any malice in Jackson’s words as he responded to her post with empathy and encouragement.
“I have always supported Jayden Daniels and want nothing but the best for him,” the former QB wrote.
“Being QB1 in Washington D.C. comes with an intense spotlight that I know well. You love your son and the real fans do too. I want a long, healthy career for him. He will always have my support,” he added.
I have always supported Jayden Daniels and want nothing but the best for him. Being QB1 in Washington DC comes with an intense spotlight that I know well. You love your son and the real fans do to. I want a long healthy career for him. He will always have my support. https://t.co/GAojRdiBZW
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 20, 2025
It was a classy, heartfelt response, rooted in shared experience. After all, Griffin knows the weight of being the face of a franchise that’s desperate for hope. Jayden Daniels, meanwhile, is just beginning to feel it.
Still, the coincidences are hard to ignore. Two dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks. Both Heisman winners. Both taken second overall by Washington. Both capturing the city’s imagination as rookies… only for injuries to slow their momentum in the second season.
The key difference is that for now, Daniels’ story is still being written, and unlike Griffin’s, it doesn’t have to end in heartbreak. So, as Regina Jackson’s plea makes clear, Washington fans would do well to let him write it without the burden of past ghosts.
