Jayden Daniels Shares Josh Johnson's Advice on Lamar Comparisons

In today’s NFL scene, it isn’t just about what you are doing, but what someone like you is doing. Because of this, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has been compared to several others, including Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. While both are special talents, they aren’t the same, and Daniels recently shared that veteran quarterback Josh Johnson made sure to point that out to him, along with the importance of blocking out the comparative noise.

"L is L, and you are you"

“L is L, and you are you at the end of the day,” Johnson told Daniels, which the young quarterback shared with CBS Sports during the week leading to the Super Bowl. Johnson, who played with Jackson and the Ravens before making his return to the Commanders last offseason, added, “Don't get caught up in the comparisons and nothing like that. What that man does is special, what you do is special."

Daniels says Johnson told him to focus on his own game and reminded him, in behind-the-scenes conversations, that the quarterback is still very early in his career. That knowledge, gained from years playing for “one hundred teams,” Daniels joked, is one thing Johnson brought to Washington with him as a free agent in 2025. Along with veteran Marcus Mariota, Daniels says the two really helped him get through what was easily the toughest season of his on-field life.

Dec 20, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks on from the sidelines during the final minutes of the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Overcoming sophomore adversity

“At some point, all the great ones [have] been through [adversity]... they had a down year, they had ups and downs, and that's just life at the end of the day." And getting to pick the brains of quarterbacks who have walked down the path he’s just beginning, he says, has been an incredible tool to help him keep his focus where it belongs.

Where it belongs, even as he makes the rounds at the Super Bowl in San Francisco, California, is in 2026 and ensuring that Year 3 is levels above what Year 2 was for him and his Commanders teammates.

Eyes on 2026 and a home playoff return

Daniels told CBS Sports he’s focused on getting right for the new season to come and is looking forward to getting back in front of Washington fans for “eight or nine home games,” in the process.

The Commanders are expected to host an international game in 2026, which will take one regular-season home game off the table. But if Daniels can help Washington get back on the playoff path it was on in 2024, then perhaps that home game can be recouped as a playoff game at Northwest Stadium.

It would be the first home playoff game for the burgundy and gold since the 2020 NFL Playoffs.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 season.

More Washington Commanders News

• Bobby Wagner Says Late Mother Lives Through Him in Award Speech

• Dolphins Named Best Team For Commanders Star Wide Receiver

• Why the Commanders Are Being Linked to a Blockbuster Maxx Crosby Trade

• Commanders Could Explore WR Trade This Offseason That Would Make Jayden Daniels Happy