Total Pro Sports
The Washington Commanders will wrap up a forgettable 2025 season without star quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Various injuries have limited Jayden Daniels to seven game appearances this season. He returned for Washington’s Week 14 game against the Minnesota Vikings, but left that game when he re-aggravated an elbow injury after making a tackle on an interception.
With the Commanders (4-10) out of the playoff race, the team has decided to play it safe and with its star signal-caller.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Washington is shutting down Jayden Daniels for the rest of the season. The No. 2 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft was re-evaluated and didn’t get the green light to play, so Marcus Mariota will finish out the season.
Sources: The #Commanders have decided to shut down QB Jayden Daniels for the final 3 games, turning his focus to supporting Marcus Mariota.
Daniels was re-evaluated today & not yet cleared. With him expected to be medically ruled out vs. the #Eagles, then facing a short week vs.… pic.twitter.com/hTu3Sv5wpw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 15, 2025
Daniels suffered a gruesome-looking elbow injury in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks. The initial fear was that he’d miss the remainder of the year, but he miraculously returned after a three-game absence.
His sophomore season ends with a 60.6 completion percentage for 1,262 yards, eight passing touchdowns, three interceptions, 278 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference.
We know Dan Snyder is long gone, but the Commanders can only look at what happened with Robert Griffin III and use it as a learning experience. They had RG3 play through a serious knee injury during his 2012 rookie year, and it ultimately derailed his promising career.
Washington cannot afford to make that mistake with Jayden Daniels. He led them to 12 wins and a stunning NFC Championship Game appearance last season. Daniels can single-handedly change a team’s fortunes.
This year was a colossal disappointment, yes. But it was largely due to a weak offensive line, a lack of playmaking weapons outside of Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel and a leaky defense. Daniels’ health has to come first here.
