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Jayden Daniels had one of the most memorable rookie seasons in pro football history, and the former LSU star put an exclamation point on things Thursday night by winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award during the NFL Honors event in New Orleans.
Daniels helped carry the Washington Commanders all the way to the NFC title game, where they fell to the Philadelphia Eagles. He is the second Tigers star in 4 years to win the award, following Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who captured the honor in 2021. Odell Beckham Jr., another LSU wideout, also won the award in 2014 while with the New York Giants, so young stars from LSU have owned this award over the past decade.
But Thursday night was all about the current rookie phenom from the Bayou, with Daniels being honored after making the Commanders relevant for the first time in many years. He was sensational with his right arm, throwing for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in the regular season alone, and his legs, running for 891 yards and 6 more scores.
He did more damage during the Commanders’ magical postseason run, throwing for 822 yards, 5 touchdowns and just 1 interception while running for 135 yards and 1 TD.
It remains to be seen what Daniels will do for an encore in 2025, but his 2024 rookie campaign will go down in history no matter what he does from this point forward.
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Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
