Exclusive: Commanders’ Jayden Daniels Opens Up on Dealing With On-Field Mistakes After Revealing His Best Skill

There are a lot of eyes on this LSU standout Jayden Daniels, especially after he made it to the big leagues and will soon be playing for the Washington Commanders. In his college career, Daniels ran the ball, made risky throws to his receivers, but still found ways to win games. More importantly, he became the Heisman Trophy winner after having a 3,812-yard season with 40 touchdowns. But to get to that point, Daniels learned to take on a lot of responsibilities and had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Daniels spoke to EssentiallySports in an exclusive interview and talked about the hardships he tackled in his college career and revealed something that might take him far in his football career. We asked the Heisman Trophy winner about how he copes with the losses, mistakes, and the mental health aspect of the game in general. “You probably get those questions with, you know, the draft guys. How are you approaching those answers?” we asked Daniels.

Daniels knows about the questions that might take him off-guard and knows how to tackle them. “It don’t really matter like, if you, they want to see how you respond. So, if you, like, throw a pick, is how do you respond? Are you going to let it affect you for the next play in the next series? Are you going to, you know, wipe it and bounce back? You got to have a short-term memory,” said Daniels.

The Commanders QB further added, “You know, because everybody, you’re the vocal point of offense. So, everybody’s looking at you to lead them. So, if you worry about other stuff, you can’t execute the offense at a high level.” All of Daniels’ preparations have yielded good results so far. But there is a lot of pressure on the ex-LSU signal caller to elevate the Commanders franchise to at least a playoff-ready team.

The Tigers finished 10-3 last season. Daniels and his team get the praise, however, a lot of those wins might have come out of his desire to improve, even if it requires breaking the norms. More so, the QB wants to “evolve” as he begins his NFL journey.

Jayden Daniels keeping himself grounded to play at a higher level

EssentiallySports asked the QB, “Coming in, what’s one thing that you feel like, all right, this is my best attribute.” Daniels has a growth-oriented approach toward his professional football career. But there were a few things he could jot down from the top of his head, things that might give him an edge over his competition.

“I’d say I kind of just everything. I mean, obviously my ability to make plays outside the pocket, whether it’s throwing the ball on the run or running. Um, that’s something I’m very strong about. Um, but really everything,” said the QB. He then expounded, “How can I expand my knowledge of the game? Um, how can I go out there and, you know, figure out ways to lead grow men that have family coming in the league.”

Daniels’ brand of football is a bit different from a lot of other QBs that came out in the class of 2024. His run-heavy offense got him 1,134 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in the 2023 season. In last year’s 52-35 win over Florida. That game brought the best out of him as he became the first QB in FBS history to have at least 360 passing yards (Daniels had 372) and at least 200 rushing yards (he had 234) in a single game.

That game bolstered his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy. All of these efforts have put him on the pedestal to achieve a lot of great things not only on the gridiron but also off the field. As sharp as he is on the football field, he needs to be sharper while dealing with people outside football. The Commanders QB has been raking in those NIL deals and this time, he’s there in the upper echelons after partnering with Head & Shoulders.

Daniels keeping it fresh!

We had to ask Daniels about his partnership experience with Head & Shoulders, and more so, we were interested in understanding why the QB chose the brand. In response, the QB had a perfectly rounded-up answer telling us how the brand fits into his day-to-day life.

“I mean, head to shoulder for me, I got a lot of hair. So, yeah, you know, I always got a helmet on. So when I’m able to wash my hair, you know, keeps me looking great. You know, keep my scalp from being issued. So, that’s something that I partnered with head and shoulders to be able to do. As you can see, I got a lot of hair. When they, when the opportunity presented itself, I was, I was happy to take it.”

It’s important to take extra care of one’s hair, especially if one wears a helmet for long durations. Not only Jayden Daniels, but people like Cooper DeJean have also taken a liking into the product that has Patrick Mahomes and Troy Polamalu as their faces. Now that Daniels has locked into the NFL, developed a hunger for knowledge that evolved over the years, and ushered in a lot of great brand associations, It would be exciting to witness what his future will look like.