Commanders Star Jayden Daniels Makes Stance on Returning to Play This Season Clear

Liam McKeone | Nov 25, 2025

Jayden Daniels suffered a scary elbow injury in Week 9 against the Seahawks. / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

It’s been three weeks since Jayden Daniels suffered a rather frightening elbow injury during the Commanders’ Week 9 loss to the Seahawks. Daniels was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow and Washington opted not to put him on IR in the hopes Daniels could return later this season.

Coming off the team’s Week 11 bye, Daniels is not on the verge of playing again. But he is making progress. Coach Dan Quinn shared the star quarterback was returning to practice this week. However, he has still not been cleared for contact and thus Daniels is “unlikely” to suit up against the Broncos on Sunday, per Quinn.

All signs indicate the team is eager to have Daniels back in the fold. But sitting at 3-8 on the year and seeing Daniels miss multiple games due to injury even before the dislocated elbow, some might wonder if he’d be better off sitting out the remainder of the year. On Tuesday, Daniels was asked about that notion by reporters and made his stance on a possible return very clear.

Here’s what the QB had to say while appearing at a team charity event in honor of Thanksgiving.

“I got to go out there and play football,” Daniels said when asked about fans worried about the risk he gets hurt again. “If I’m back out there, I’m healthy and I’m ready to go, I want to be out there.”

Jayden Daniels is asked about possibly returning this season despite injury risk:

"If I'm healthy and ready to go, I want to be out there."https://t.co/iQ5Gf5Wgsk pic.twitter.com/9kr3Y28jIk

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) November 25, 2025

It’s the expected attitude from a professional football player. There is risk inherent in every snap they take. That alone will never stop them from retaking the field, even after an injury as painful as Daniels’s looked.

There is a somewhat reasonable case that the Commanders stand more to lose than to gain by bringing Daniels back, though. Washington’s 3-8 record means the playoffs are a long shot. The Commanders are well behind the NFC East-leading 8-3 Eagles and sit five games behind the 49ers for the final NFC wild card berth entering Week 12. It’s probable they end up eliminated from the playoffs in the coming weeks, at which point the team has nothing to play for other than draft position.

NFL teams don’t think that way, though. Even if the Commanders do get eliminated they’ll see value in Daniels getting back out there to keep improving his game. The 2024 Rookie of the Year was stellar to begin his NFL career but still only has 26 career starts under his belt. More possible reps from this season, no matter how meaningful in the grand scheme of championship contention, will help him become a better quarterback.

Beyond all that, the messaging from both Daniels and his team seems quite clear: if he’s healthy, he’s going to play.

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