Commanders must confront what Year 3 really means for Jayden Daniels

The Washington Commanders' hopes for a playoff return in 2026 hinge upon a multitude of factors. But the biggest one cannot be overstated: it's whether quarterback Jayden Daniels can stay healthy and recapture his sensational rookie form.

Washington was one of the biggest surprises in the NFL, going from 4-13 to the NFC Championship game during Daniels' first year. The Commanders were equally disappointing last season, winning only five games while the star passer played in only seven.

Year 3 is nothing short of crucial for him, for so many reasons. Potentially the biggest one? The money that Washington will be eligible to pay him next offseason.

Kevin Sheehan of The Team 980 brought up the topic this week, which seems too soon to think about. But by the time the 2026 season wraps up, it certainly won't be.

Commanders need to maximize every resource for Jayden Daniels before he becomes extension-eligible

Sheehan is confident in the best-case scenario, in which Daniels bounces back in a major way and lands the big bucks. And fans are hoping he's right.

The last thing the Commanders need is a drawn-out contract dispute with Daniels. No one wants a repeat of the Kirk Cousins fiasco, or for Washington to end up in the situation the Baltimore Ravens had with Lamar Jackson a few years ago. Though they ultimately worked out a deal, they were hesitant to pay him top dollar and briefly dangled him in trade talks after a request from the two-time NFL MVP.

If Daniels' contract negotiations began right now, it's hard to see a world in which Washington would be willing to offer some record-setting extension. The LSU product needs to prove he can stay healthy for a full season and that he wasn't just a one-year wonder.

If he can't, he'll likely enter Year 4 still trying to earn his money.

Relationships can get complicated at that point, even if the Commanders pick up Daniels' fifth-year option as expected. It's best for all parties if this potential hiccup is resolved quickly and affirmatively, but that means the quarterback has to be great.

Even just a solid or good campaign from Daniels might not be enough to silence all doubts. He's going to have to be as electrifying as his rookie year, if not better. He's going to need to show that he is on a sustainable upward trajectory in his career that will be worth every penny for the next half-decade.

Washington believes in Daniels. But he can no longer be treated as some developmental project.

The time is now to show us who he really is — because his future as the Commanders' franchise player will be at stake.