Jayden Daniels is a superstar. His sensational rookie campaign also has the Washington Commanders' rivals quaking in their boots.
One, perhaps unsurprisingly, has made no secret of this to the media.
Jerry Jones isn't known for keeping his thoughts (about anything) to himself. The Dallas Cowboys owner is always shooting from the hip on radio appearances and after games. His franchise remains the most valuable brand in sports. Unfortunately, this has brought nothing but underachievement over the last three decades.
Now, Jones and the Cowboys have another big problem on their hands.
The Commanders are a sleeping giant who've been awoken from their slumber. Their new regime turned things around much quicker than expected. Daniels' rapid emergence as an elite force is something they can potentially build around for the next decade.
Jerry Jones wary of Commanders' long-term threat with Jayden Daniels
Jones admitted to feeling queasy about the prospect of facing Daniels twice a season. However, the enigmatic billionaire is relishing the challenge, even though he admitted the Cowboys could be settling for scraps when it's all said and done.
"I get sick when I think the Cowboys have got to play him twice a year for the rest of his career. I would say that we played him pretty good in Washington. And we played him pretty good for a half when we got him down to Dallas. But he's a great talent. Unique. I'm glad to have him in the National Football League. And frankly, I like the idea of competing as we move forward in the years ahead. I'm a big fan of Washington as a great football town. Anything that would help make that more substantive, I'm all for. The Cowboys will find a way to slip in and get breadcrumbs or something."Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones talkin Jayden Daniels 👀
— Mitchell Tischler (@Mitch_Tischler) February 7, 2025
“I get sick thinking about playing him twice a year …” pic.twitter.com/0lxlGPD6Ch
Making this sustainable is the biggest challenge facing Daniels. We've seen rookie quarterbacks thrive immediately before tailing off. The Commanders are confident this won't happen thanks to the Heisman Trophy winner's outstanding work ethic and inner desire to be the best.
Losing in the NFC Championship game provided Daniels with all the motivation needed to excel further. Washington must do its part by surrounding the former LSU standout with the supporting cast needed to progress in Year 2 of his professional career, but general manager Adam Peters has the cap space and draft picks to achieve this objective.
That's not going to help Jones, who is embarking on another offseason of uncertainty under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer. They are up against it from a salary-cap standpoint and still need to reset the market for edge rusher Micah Parsons. They are also behind the Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles as third-best within the NFC East.
Daniels is a cold-blooded killer on the football field. He won't care about the Cowboys' state. He'll be firmly focused on doing whatever possible to help the Commanders build on a phenomenal campaign. Rubbing salt into the wounds of division adversaries only makes it sweeter from a fan's perspective.
Jones has accepted that Daniels is going to be a constant thorn in Dallas' side for the next decade. Whether he's got the energy to counteract this is another matter.