Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III sat down with comedian Bert Kreischer on the latter’s show “Something’s Burning” and discussed Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ rookie season. Griffin touched on the glaring similarities between Daniels’ first year and his own before pointing out what made them different.
Jayden Daniels Transforms Washington Commanders in First NFL Season
Daniels’ rookie season could hardly have gone any better. Drafted No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Daniels joined a Washington team that had just finished last in the NFC East after winning only four games.
New Commanders head coach Dan Quinn added tight end Zach Ertz, giving his rookie a veteran receiving option. But beyond Ertz and the team’s best receiver, Terry McLaurin, Washington’s receiving corps was nothing to brag about.
Still, Daniels’ ability to take off on explosive runs while staying poised in the pocket made him one of the most feared quarterbacks in the league. Daniels entered the NFL known for his mobility and downfield throwing accuracy, but his leadership and professionalism stood out above all else.
The Commanders mounted a heroic playoff run, falling one game short of the Super Bowl after a 55-23 loss to their divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Including the playoffs, Daniels finished the year with 4,390 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns. He added another 1,026 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Those numbers earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and his first Pro Bowl selection.
Robert Griffin III Compares Daniels’ Rookie Season to His Own
In an eerily similar story, Griffin was also selected second overall by Washington after the team finished last in the NFC East. And like Daniels, he entered the draft following a Heisman Trophy win in his final college season.
Griffin also took the team to the playoffs in his first season but lost in the Wild Card round to the Seattle Seahawks. In his rookie year, he recorded 3,284 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns, along with 836 rushing yards and seven rushing scores. Griffin also won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award and earned a Pro Bowl spot.
Speaking to Kreischer about the comparison, Griffin noted the similarities before pointing out two key differences.
“Heisman Trophy winner, second pick in the draft, goes to Washington, D.C. Never been a D.C. kid, he’s a California kid, so he’s traveling all the way across the U.S. to go play in a new city, in a new town. That’s my same experience, I just didn’t come from California, I came from Texas.”
Griffin then noted the Commanders’ success in 2024 and pointed to organizational dysfunction as a reason for his own more difficult time with the team.
“There’s two main differences. One, they went to the NFC Championship Game. We didn’t get there. We played in the Wild Card game of the playoffs, got knocked out, I got hurt. You know, the rest is history.
“But the other difference is the organizational structure. So I know you guys or anyone that’s ever put together a team or had kids, anyone watching who’s had kids. How you set them up is gonna help them be most successful.”
Griffin recounted internal conflicts between Washington’s front office and its then-head coach, Mike Shanahan.
“I had an owner and a head coach that hated each other. The coach didn’t wanna draft me. Then they draft me, now you’ve got the owner, the head coach, and the GM all beefing about it, but we win the division the first year, so no one knows. But then the next year, we go 4-12, and it’s because we didn’t have that camaraderie, we didn’t have that united vision.
“Jayden comes in, he’s got a new owner, a new GM, a new head coach, and a new offensive coordinator, and all of them are aligned because when one of them sinks, they all sink.”
The Commanders’ organization certainly seems to be built on a shared vision, with results on the field showing clear progress. After things quickly fell apart for Washington following Griffin’s rookie season (along with his health and career), Daniels can only hope the similarities end there.