While on the red carpet for the NFL Honors Awards, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed that he gets sick thinking about having to face rookie star quarterback Jayden Daniels twice a year.
Cowboys Owner Feels Sick About Having to Play Daniels Twice a Year
A star was born in the NFL this year after Daniels’ rookie season with the Washington Commanders. Because of his greatness, he is already stressing out his division rivals after only one season in the league. While on the red carpet at the NFL Honors Awards, Jones was asked about his impressions of watching Daniels play this season, and he had this to say.
“I get sick when I think about the Cowboys having to play him twice a year for the rest of his career,” Jones told red carpet media. “We played him pretty good in Washington, and we played him well in Dallas, but he is a great talent, and I’m glad to have him in the NFL. I like the idea of competing against him for years ahead. Washington is a great football town, and I’m glad they have him to add more to it.”
The Commanders and Cowboys split their two matchups this season even though Daniels only played one half in their second matchup. However, Jones saw Daniels lead the Commanders to its best season in over 30 years. His great season earned him the Associated Press 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award at the NFL Honors show.
Jones has built the Cowboys up to being the most valued professional sports franchise in the world, so it is worth paying attention to when Jones speaks about the value someone like Daniels can bring to the league.
In the NFC, Daniels has shown the potential to be the best quarterback in that conference. As he continues to improve year in and year out, Jones knows that Daniels will be in the way of any goals the Cowboys want to accomplish on the field. Prior to the season, the Commanders and Cowboys owned some of the longest streaks of teams since their last conference championship appearance, and after this season, it has left the Cowboys all on their own in that regard.
Jones isn’t the only high-ranking figure who’s spoken highly of Daniels. The 2023 NFL OROTY winner C.J. Stroud made the claim that he believed that Daniels had the best rookie season in league history. He broke the rookie season rushing record for a quarterback and was at the top of the league in every clutch category.
Arguably, Daniels’s sophomore season will be just as important as his rookie season. He won’t be expected to reach the NFC championship game; however, he will have a national microscope on him to make sure he can keep building on a historic first season. Jones seems to think he will keep improving and that he’ll be with the Commanders franchise for his whole career.
What’s Next for Daniels?
Daniels will be a popular pick for MVP in the offseason for the 2025 season, and it is not crazy to think he could be among the favorites. He finished seventh in MVP voting for the 2024 season as a rookie. And he had a case to even win the award this season if it hadn’t been for career seasons from Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
If Daniels duplicates this season, he will be in the conversation among the league’s best at his position next year, but he’ll firmly be in the NFL MVP conversations all season.
With over $90 million in cap space, the Commanders will be a team to look out for next season, and everyone knows it just like Jerry Jones knows it.
Main Image: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
