Who is Jalon Daniels? Four Things to Know About the Buccaneers’ Rookie Starting Quarterback

“You can’t be the thermometer. You have to be the thermostat.”

That’s how rookie Jalon Daniels answered a reporter in Tampa this week when asked if he’ll be able to stay calm, cool and collected when it comes time to make his first career NFL start.

“You have to be someone who comes in and is able to set the temperature of the room,” Daniels continued. “Not test the room and try to be able to blend in with it. If the team is low, I have to be able to pick it up to make sure that [we’re] even, and if we’re high I have to be able to be low to make sure that we’re even. I try to be as even-keeled as possible, and I think that being able to go out there and have that even-keel feel, the team around you feels that.”

Daniels has come a long way in a short period of time. After going unselected in the 2026 NFL draft, the former Kansas signal-caller signed with the Buccaneers in early May—looking to simply compete for a chance as a reserve quarterback. Nearly five months later, he’s now set to take over Tampa Bay’s offense against the Packers this weekend, hoping to prevent his team from falling into an 0–4 hole.

MORE: NFL Week 4 Schedule 2026: Ranking All 16 Games From Worst to Best

One of Daniels’s college teammates, Patriots cornerback Karon Prunty, knows firsthand what the rookie can bring to both the field and the locker room.

“He’s gonna give you everything he’s got,” Prunty told me at his locker on Wednesday. “Very talented. Got good arm strength, good mobility, has got the ability to extend plays. … I’m excited to see what he’s going to do on Sunday.”

Prunty, who overlapped with Daniels for one season in Lawrence, Kans., added that the quarterback “brings a lot of energy. Always laughing. Just brings good vibes in the locker room.”

“I believe in him. They ain’t starting him for no reason. I’m just excited to see what he’s going to do. I know he’s going to make plays out there. I know we’re going to see something crazy. So I’m just excited for him.”

Here are four things to know about Daniels, the Buccaneers’ unexpected Week 4 starting quarterback.

Daniels played six seasons of college football, all at Kansas

Jalon Daniels. — Jalon Daniels spent six seasons at Kansas. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the NIL era of college football, it’s less and less likely for a player to spend his entire lengthy career at the same school. But that’s exactly what Daniels did.

A Lawndale, Calif., native, Daniels originally committed to play college football at Middle Tennessee State before flipping to Kansas at the last second. He weighed other offers from Air Force, Army and Syracuse—among others—but chose to play for the Jayhawks under then head coach Les Miles.

Daniels started six games as a true freshman in 2020, a season that saw Kansas go 0–9 and then ultimately fire Miles the following March after a sexual misconduct report was released by his former employer, LSU. Rather than jump ship, Daniels chose to stay at Kansas and would go on to build quite the collegiate career.

Over the next five seasons, Daniels started 39 games for the Jayhawks and posted a 19–20 record while completing 63% of his passes for over 8,500 yards and 66 touchdowns. He also added 1,421 rushing yards and an additional score on the ground. Daniels earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2022.

Daniels’s rookie contract included a signing bonus of just $25,000

After declaring for the draft last December, Daniels began to prepare for his NFL journey. He attended the NFL scouting combine in February, where he measured in at 6'0", 219 pounds and recorded a 4.65-second 40-yard dash, and took three predraft “30” visits with the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Patriots. Daniels also held private workouts for the Bills, Chargers, Chiefs and Saints.

Despite some interest, however, Daniels went undrafted in late April and ultimately chose to sign with the Buccaneers as a UDFA. While his contract is technically a three-year, $3.125 million deal, it includes just a $272,000 base guarantee and began with a lowly $25,000 signing bonus. To put that in perspective, Garrett Nussmeier, the final quarterback selected in the 2026 draft, received $120,488 fully guaranteed at signing after being taken by the Chiefs with the 249th pick in he seventh round. The former LSU Tigers’ rookie contract is a four-year, $4.5 million deal.

For further context, the Buccaneers just recently signed Mayfield to a $165 million extension that included $70 million fully guaranteed at signing.

Daniels beat out two veterans for the Buccaneers’ backup QB job

Upon signing with the Buccaneers, Daniels entered a quarterback room that featured Mayfield as the incumbent starter, and veterans Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak competing for the backup spot. The 23-year-old impressed throughout the summer and quickly emerged as Tampa Bay’s best No. 2 option behind Mayfield.

After entering the Buccaneers’ preseason opener against the Jets in the third quarter, Daniels helped the offense find the end zone on his first possession under center. Then, in the final frame, with his team down 17–16, he orchestrated a 16-play, 65-yard drive that he finished with a one-yard rushing touchdown—which proved to be the game-winning score.

Jalon Daniels finds the end zone 🙌

TBvsNYJ on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ACMMDrs8ZF
— NFL (@NFL) August 15, 2026

Daniels finished the preseason completing 61% of his passes for 239 yards and a touchdown while adding an additional 37 yards rushing and the aforementioned score on the ground. He was named the Buccaneers’ backup to Mayfield on August 30, the same weekend that they released both Browning and Bazelak during final roster cuts.

Daniels is the first rookie quarterback to start in the NFL this season

Despite 10 signal-callers being selected in the 2026 draft—including two, Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson, in Round 1—and plenty of others going undrafted, Daniels is set to be the first rookie quarterback to start an NFL game this season.

The league entered 2026 in unusual territory, as this was just the second time since ’07 that a rookie quarterback didn’t start in Week 1. Daniels going from undrafted free agent to being the first QB to start this season makes the story all the more fascinating.

“This is a dream come true,” Daniels said Wednesday. “... You [only] get one first start. You don’t do it twice. So living in the moment, I think that’s everything. Being able to live in the moment, being able to take every single emotion in, to go through every emotion. I think that’s something that somebody told me before: Every high, every low, every good, every bad. … Go through every single emotion because it builds you into who you’re going to be and it builds character for every situation you're going to come through down the line.”

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