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CJ Stroud and his Houston teammates saw their season come to an end last Saturday. On Monday, he met with members of the media to break down the year and look ahead to the future. With Stroud at the helm, Houston certainly has a bright future. But he’s not the only quarterback from San Bernardino County who might be lighting up the NFL for years to come.
Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders are still standing in the NFL postseason, having beaten the Detroit Lions on Saturday. Daniels threw for 299 yards and 2 scores in that game, helping the Commanders, a double-digit underdog, to an upset of the NFC’s top seed.
Stroud was impressed, as he was all season.
On Monday, Stroud told reporters he believes the former LSU star has had the best rookie season in NFL history.
“That boy crazy. I’m so happy for that dude,” Stroud said. “It’s giving kids back home hope that they can do it too. … I’m super proud of him. In my opinion, he’s had the best rookie year of all time. That’s what records are meant (for), they’re meant to be (broken) and he’s broken a lot of things.
“He ain’t had it easy, just his background — losing his grandparents, and the city he’s from, San Bernardino, is not an easy place to be brought up from. So, for him to beat the odds and do what he’s doing, I’m so happy and proud of dude. We talk a lot. … I don’t room for many other teams but I’m rooting for my boy.”
Stroud grew up in Southern California, too — in Rancho Cucamonga. The 2 quarterbacks played high school ball less than 20 miles apart. Daniels was part of the 2019 class, Stroud the 2020 class. Both were blue-chip prospects. Both were picked second overall in the NFL Draft as well, with Stroud coming out in 2023 and Daniels debuting this season.
Daniels broke the NFL’s rookie quarterback records for completion percentage and rushing yards this season. He walked into an organization that hadn’t won 10 games since 2012 and, with a first-year head coach, led Washington to 12 wins.
With the win over Detroit, Washington will play in its first NFC Championship game since 1991.
Daniels threw for 3,568 yards, ran for 891 yards, and scored 31 total touchdowns during the regular season. He is very likely to be named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year. He’s the sixth rookie in NFL history to start a conference championship game. And with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, Daniels would become the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to start the Super Bowl.
Hard to argue with Stroud on this one.
Related: Washington is a 5.5-point underdog in the NFC Championship game against Philadelphia. Louisiana residents who want to bet on the game can do so with this bet365 bonus code Louisiana.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
