Jayden Daniels signs his rookie contract with the Washington Commanders

Photo: The Canadian Press

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Jayden Daniels signed his rookie contract with the Washington Commanders on Friday, the next step in becoming the team's franchise quarterback.

The Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU was the second pick in the NFL draft. As a result, the contract is worth $37.75 million for four years with a $24.3 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option for the 2028 season.

Coach Dan Quinn has not named Daniels as the Commanders’ starting QB, instead saying training camp will be an open competition with veteran Marcus Mariota. But Daniels figures to win that competition and become Washington’s eighth Week 1 starter at the position in as many seasons.

“One of the things that I love about him is he’s got this demeanor about the execution, about the confidence,” Quinn said this week. “He’s got a swagger to him. He really has a very firm handle on the things that we’re doing, but he also has the humility of a young player. And so I thought, ‘What a cool combination to have this presence as an older player, but yet the humility of the new and younger player, knowing that he has a lot to prove.’”

Daniels, who threw out the first pitch before a recent Washington Nationals game, said at minicamp he knows he's “not a star yet."

“I got a long way to go,” Daniels said. “I’m a rookie.”

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