Jayden Daniels is out for the Commanders: “He is not happy”

Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn has confirmed that Jayden Daniels will not play again this year as he tries to shake off niggling injuries.

Daniels missed the Week 15 game against the New York Giants after aggravating an elbow injury that has severely affected his 2025 season. The Commanders have three games remaining and no chance of making the postseason, convincing Quinn to shut down the second-year QB to avoid worsening the problem.

“He is not happy that he is going to be out, but that’s where we’re at,” Quinn explained on Monday. “We thought we had a good plan for the next five [games], and I would say, ‘Man plans and God laughs.’”

Daniels has missed six games due to injury this year. Most recently a dislocated elbow suffered on November 9, then aggravated on December 7, has kept him sidelined.

The 24-year-old ends his second season in the league with 1,262 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions, rushing for a further two touchdowns. It’s not been the season that anyone in Washington would have hoped for but there remains a belief in the Heisman Trophy winner as the future of the franchise.

“The best place to do it is in a game to grow,” Quinn said, explaining the decision to keep Daniels out for the remainder of the season. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze every ounce of energy into the practice and working through some of the specific things that we want to do.”

“We’re always going to make the best decisions for the team and the player, but it doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of this time. And like I said, I hope when you talk to him a year from now, ‘Man, that gave me a different vantage point.’ I want him to gain something from this time, and that’s what we hope to accomplish from that.”

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