Washington Commanders Lock In NFL Draft Class As Jayden Daniels Signs Rookie Contract

The Washington Commanders took care of a key piece of business before training camp by signing the rest of their NFL Draft class.

David Harrison | Jun 15, 2024

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels poses after being selected by the Washington Commanders as the No. 2 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders have practiced the art of patience when it comes to moving on to the next item on their short and long-range calendars, not putting any move ahead of the ones that need to come before it.

This includes Commanders head coach Dan Quinn not only declining to name a starting quarterback ahead of training camp, but not even discussing the presence of 'starters' or depth charts to this point.

It's been all about competition in Washington so far, and they'll let the rest work itself out when the time to do so comes. Just as they did by completing all of their rookie contracts following the conclusion of mandatory minicamp, and ahead of July's training camp.

One hour after posting an inside look into the Commanders' NFL Draft war room the team announced via social media that quarterback Jayden Daniels had signed his rookie contract.

Right after that the team announced the signing of tight end Ben Sinnott, and finally the signing of offensive tackle Brandon Coleman with the accompanying post stating, "Our entire 2024 draft class is officially signed."

It's a big moment in the lives of the NFL players who were not that long ago children who dreamt of suiting up for a professional football team.

For Washington, it's a necessary step that certainly comes at no surprise, but needed to happen before fully switching in to training camp preparation mode.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels

"Our entire 2024 draft class is officially signed."
- Washington Commanders

Rookies drafted by NFL teams are allowed, per the collective bargaining agreement, to practice during rookie minicamp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp even if they haven't signed their initial contracts.

That latitude, however, doesn't extend to training camp, and any rookie who doesn't have a signed deal by then is not allowed to practice.

With all of their picks signed, the Commanders have taken care of that, and will now enjoy a mostly peaceful break before training camp returns and competitive football awaits just around the bend.

Daniels' deal, mostly dictated by the NFL's rookie wage scale, is worth $37.75 million over the next four years, includes a fifth-year team option, and comes with a $24.3 million signing bonus according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. The finer details of the contract were negotiated by Daniels' agent, Ron Butler.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

Published Jun 15, 2024

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.