Jayden Daniels Praised ‘Special Relationship’ With Kliff Kingsbury Before He Was Fired

Stephen Douglas | Jan 6, 2026

Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury formed a bond in Washington. Now one of them is gone. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Jayden Daniels only appeared in seven games this season and the Washington Commanders took a major step back, finishing 5-12 and third in their division a year after making the NFC championship game.

While head coach Dan Quinn retained his job, the team decided to part ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. One person who might not be a huge fan of that decision is Daniels.

Just yesterday the team's young franchise quarterback spoke glowingly about his relationship with Kingsbury.

Jayden Daniels speaks with reporters on:

-Kingsbury
-Staying healthy ("rebuilding myself from the ground up... that's the most important thing to be available for my team")
-Big seasons from Maye & Williams ("badass class of quarterbacks")@JPFinlayNBCS #Commanders #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/JWfudVBGRA

— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) January 5, 2026

"I mean, I love working with Kliff," said Daniels. "You know, me and him have a special relationship. We've kind of built that over the last these last two years and I kind of just wish I was out there more to play for him this past year."

Daniels added that the most important thing was that he could be available for his team. With him missing half the season with injuries the Commanders started Marcus Mariota in eight games and once the season was all but over journeyman Josh Johnson started the final two games of the year.

Hopefully the Commanders have some really good options lined up.

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