It's no secret that the success of the Washington Commanders hinges upon one player more than anybody else. Of course, that is quarterback Jayden Daniels.
As a rookie, he was the architect behind the Commanders' stunning run to the NFC Championship game. He was quite arguably the greatest first-year quarterback in NFL history. He was already being thrown into conversations as a top-five passer in the league and the best in the conference. He could do no wrong.
Then, Year 2 happened.
Jayden Daniels' second-year slump with Commanders has drawn wildly unfair criticism
Daniels couldn't stay healthy, and Washington went 5-12. Because all sports discourse today is a bunch of spicy hot takes for engagement and attention, now he is suddenly bad. He is Robert Griffin III reincarnated. A one-year wonder. The league has supposedly figured him out.
There are certainly valid criticisms of Daniels and real concerns about his sustainability moving forward. But just as his coronation was probably premature last year, the disrespect has gone absolutely overboard.
As pointed out by NBC Sports team insider JP Finlay on Facebook, the final Madden football ratings for the 2025 season were released. They were less than kind to Washington's signal-caller.
Daniels is a 79, six points down from last year, and ranking 19th of 32 starting quarterbacks. He's behind Bo Nix. He's behind the corpse of Aaron Rodgers. He's barely ahead of Daniel Jones, Bryce Young, and Tyler Shough.
Sure, Daniels was disappointing this past season. But this is simply too far.
Much like the conversation in general surrounding the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, it's an overreaction to an overreaction. He is being judged not by the true value of his performance, but by the value in relation to what was expected of him.
There is no world in which Daniels is as close to Shedeur Sanders as he is to Justin Herbert. As close to Geno Smith as he is to Jared Goff. Aside from his final two appearances in 2025, when he struggled to find a rhythm upon return from previous injuries, he was largely productive when he played.
Meanwhile, Madden sure loves itself some Drake Maye. Somehow, the New England Patriots quarterback earned himself a 94 rating for his efforts this season, while Daniels' 2024 campaign only netted him an 85. Super Bowl appearance or not, the math doesn't add up.
At the end of the day, it's just a video game. For Daniels, though, it speaks to the growing noise around his perception in the league.
He's going to have a lot of people to prove wrong next year. And Daniels will not be lacking in bulletin-board material.