The noise from NFL free agency has finally quieted down a bit, which means it's time for absolute non-stories to start dominating the news cycle again. For the Washington Commanders, there's some prime material involving star quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Daniels' second season, much like Washington's on the whole, went about as disastrously as anybody could have feared. He was injured several times and played in seven games, finishing only four. The Commanders went 5-12. Dan Quinn's coaching staff and Adam Peters' roster both received total overhauls.
Where the quarterback is concerned, everybody is now predictably obsessed with keeping him safe at all costs.
If you ask some fans, he should spend his entire offseason wrapped in bubble wrap and wearing protective gear every time Daniels leaves his house. In fact, he should even wear it at home in case he falls down the stairs or bangs his head against a wall.
As for playing a promotional flag football game in Los Angeles? Forget about it.
Jayden Daniels played flag football, and the world survived
As JP Finlay of 106.7 The Fan was quick to point out, all of the hand-wringing over Daniels' appearance in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic was a giant nothing-burger.
Finlay made things as clear-cut as he could: "These are young men. They're going to do stuff." Compared to some of the dangerous endeavors that other players have undertaken over the summer, flag football is nothing.
Young athletes are known for their off-season activities. JP promises you Jayden Daniels playing flag football is nothing to worry about. #NFL #OffSeason #FlagFootball #AthleteLife #SportsNews pic.twitter.com/eNpRA9RRJk
— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) March 23, 2026
We've seen players accidentally shoot themselves. We've seen players blow their fingers off on the 4th of July. We've seen players have high-speed Grand Theft Auto reenactments on the freeway. If you want to list examples of athletes being irresponsible children, there's no shortage of material to pick from.
Daniels was one of many NFL standouts who appeared at the event, and none of them got hurt. Joe Burrow, another quarterback with a long history of injuries, was also present. Like his fellow LSU alumnus, he was there to have fun. Everybody was there to have fun. And fun was had.
It was a glorified Pro Bowl. Daniels even played some snaps at wide receiver, simply because he could. Given that the Team USA flag football squad won the competition, nobody on the NFL side was taking it remotely seriously.
Now, let's all exhale. Daniels is a grown adult who can make grown adult decisions. He's mature enough to know what lines not to cross, and this wasn't one of them.