NFL Exec 'Afraid' Jayden Daniels Will Have 'Sophomore Slump' with Commanders in 2025

One NFL executive questioned whether the Washington Commanders are heading toward regression in 2025.

The executive said so much rests on quarterback Jayden Daniels avoiding a "sophomore slump."

"I'm afraid that is the team that is going to have the quarterback hit the sophomore slump, and now you have invested in all these older guys and you are not really building a team anymore, you are just adding pieces," they said to The Athletic's Mike Sando. "At some point, you get diminishing returns with all those old guys."

Sando said the executive cited Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud as an example of what could be in store for Daniels.

Stroud saw his numbers decline across the board, with no stat more glaring than his passing yards. He averaged a league-high 273.9 yards per game through the air in 2023, and that figure dropped to 219.2 yards in 2024.

Young quarterbacks don't always progress in a linear fashion. In his second season, Daniels will inevitably face defenses that have better adjusted to his strengths and weaknesses.

The Commanders made good use of having their starting quarterback on a rookie contract. They acquired wide receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil through trades and signed defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a $45 million contract.

Washington didn't rest on its laurels after making an underdog run to the NFC title game, and the front office's aggressive approach was a clear endorsement of Daniels.

Should the 2024 first-round pick fail to take another step forward in Year 2, though, it will deal a serious blow to the Commanders' ambitions.