One by one, those closest to Jayden Daniels are falling out of the picture. The Washington Commanders are taking the training wheels off their young quarterback, somewhat by design and partially not.
First, it was quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard, who earned an external promotion from Stanford, his alma mater. Then, there was the dismissal of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Next on the list could be Daniels’ backup and mentor, Marcus Mariota.
Mariota is set to hit unrestricted free agency in March, and a return to Washington seems unlikely. FOX Sports’ Greg Auman even predicted that the 32-year-old will follow Kingsbury to his next destination: the Los Angeles Rams.
Losing Mariota would be the cherry on top of Daniels saying goodbye to some of his closest Commanders confidants.
Jayden Daniels' safety net is collapsing, and Marcus Mariota might be next
Commanders fans shouldn’t be too surprised. Mariota has openly discussed weighing his options this offseason and told reporters he thinks “so highly of” Kingsbury during Washington's locker room cleanout day. However, the impact this will have on Daniels could be felt in more ways than one.
Daniels is a made man entering his third NFL campaign. He doesn’t need babysitters to look over him. Yet, that doesn’t change the fact that his support system is in heavy flux, which is far from ideal.
Every up-and-coming player wants a trusted, respected voice to lean on, akin to the connection Daniels and Mariota have built during their time together. The former hasn't been shy to spotlight the effect the latter has had on his development, and the feeling is ostensibly mutual.
We've seen Mariota serve as a personal hype man to his protégé, a teacher and perhaps above all, a friend. He's gone through the hardships of a season that Daniels experienced in 2025 ten times over and has been a calming presence. That alone is worth its weight in gold.
Given his affinity for Kingsbury and comfort operating in the ex-Commanders play-caller's scheme, Mariota being a low-cost understudy to MVP Matthew Stafford checks out. Latching onto a Rams squad that's co-favored to win Super Bowl LXI also adds to the appeal. Nevertheless, their reunion would mark the departure of three of Daniels' greatest allies, so he'll have no choice but to sink or swim in 2026.