Report: Jayden Daniels does not want to be drafted by Commanders
Oct 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A Washington Commanders helmet on the bench against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Commanders have gained momentum in recent weeks as the most likely suitor for Jayden Daniels, but the former LSU star might be hoping to land with a different team.
Earlier this week, the Commanders pulled an unorthodox move when they brought in a group of quarterback prospects — Daniels, Drake Maye, JJ McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. — for an official visit rather than meeting with each player individually. There have since been signs that Washington did not clearly communicate that plan to Daniels.
On Wednesday, Daniels’ agent Ron Butler hinted at frustration with the Commanders via social media. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk criticized Washington for hosting quarterback prospects as a group, and Butler retweeted the video with a thinking emoji.
— Ron Butler (@Agentbutler1) April 18, 2024
Butler also “liked” a post on X that unloaded on the Commanders. A screenshot was captured by Bryan Manning of Commanders Wire.
“How many companies do this? Puts them around their peers? Bring players from the team along and see how they interact? Who the f–k cares how they interact with players they will never player with? This doesn’t make sense to me,” the post read (edited by LBS for profanity).
All of that has led some prominent members of the NFL media to conclude that Daniels might not want to play for Washington. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said just that during his Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I think it’s a situation where, from the outset, Jayden Daniels has had interest in being other places. He just has,” Schefter said. “Now, what do the Commanders do about that? There have been plenty of players who wanted to play elsewhere and teams don’t care and they just do what they do.”
"It has been tracking for Jayden Daniels to go at number two..
It feels like Jayden Daniels has an interest in being other places..
We’ll see what the Washington Commanders do with that information" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive https://t.co/6pVLDVMIHO pic.twitter.com/U7nijL0ZQw
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 19, 2024
Schefter had recently reported that signs point toward Daniels being taken No. 2 by the Commanders, and the ESPN reporter said Friday that he still believes that will happen.
Butler’s social media activity alone would tell you that Daniels’ camp is not thrilled with Washington. We have also seen a major shift in the odds for which quarterback will be the second overall pick in the draft.
The Commanders have a new ownership group and are hoping to erase the leftover stench from the previous one, but it sounds like they could face some familiar issues in the near term.