Jayden Daniels had a spectacular rookie NFL season with the Washington Commanders in 2024, capping it off by winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. There were times during the season where NFL analysts even thought Daniels could even with the MVP award.
There were plenty of major declarations made about Daniels throughout his rookie season, such as Tom Brady comparing him to Tiger Woods and Colin Cowherd saying he is a mix of Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes—no pressure. Former NFL quarterback Alex Smith added another bold proclamation just this week when speaking on USA Today's Sports Seriously.
"It's really unprecedented ... he's the greatest rookie season maybe in American sports history," Smith said. "When you watch the tape, there's nothing flukey about it. This guy is so fundamental. He can beat you in so many ways. ... His clutch gene—I don't think we've ever seen a rookie have that many fourth quarter comebacks, clutch moments with throws. It certainly did take him to the NFC championship game."
Smith isn't the first NFL analyst to say something like this. Back in January, ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi said Daniels was "the best rookie quarterback I've seen." Smith's declaration included a wider scope than just the NFL, as he believes Daniels produced the best rookie season in all of American sports history.
Daniels did have a standout rookie season. He was the sixth rookie quarterback to take their team to a conference championship game. They lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in that game, but it was still impressive to NFL fans that Daniels was able to take the Commanders and their struggling defense that far. He also broke the record for the most yards thrown in the playoffs by a rookie QB.
Smith noted that Daniels will have a lot of pressure put on him in his second year as the Commanders starter. There was a lot of pressure on him last year, too, and it didn't seem to rock him much.
