The Washington Commanders achieved a lot of things this year and quarterback Jayden Daniels and general manager Adam Peters are both getting attention for it.
When you have as amazing a season as the Washington Commanders had in 2024 it is expected that some of the players and personnel who helped achieve it will get some recognition for it.
However, in a quarterback-driven league, Commanders‘ rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels got the largest scoop of national attention while others were somewhat left out in the cold.
If we were to tell you that a team with only two Pro Bowl players on the initial roster and no First-Team All-Pros, including Daniels, made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, you probably wouldn’t believe us. But that’s exactly what Washington did this season.
Because of that, Daniels received yet another Rookie of the Year nod, this time from The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer, who does not identify an offensive and defensive winner but one that stands above the rest.
“Daniels is the third Washington player to win this award since its inception in 1955, joining fellow quarterback Robert Griffin III (2012) and Hall of Fame wide receiver Charley Taylor (1964). Daniels set rookie records for completion percentage and rushing yards by a QB. He won the Rookie of the Year award by a wide margin, receiving 454 votes, with Raiders tight end Brock Bowers getting the second most votes with 218,” says Iyer. “He also got close to taking the Commanders to the Super Bowl after leading Washington to a 12-5 turnaround and road wins in the wild-card and divisional rounds. He has a case for being the best rookie QB in NFL history given his dual-threat production and franchise-changing professionalism. Daniels is on the early watchlist to win his first MVP in 2025.”
The Coach of the Year Award went to Minnesota Vikings leader Kevin O’Connell, while Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell and Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid were the ‘honorable mentions.’ We guess Dan Quinn was just handed a championship contending team, eh?
While offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury wasn’t among those mentioned as runners-up to Lions coordinator Ben Johnson winning Assistant Coach of the Year, general manager Adam Peters at least got some consolation love in the Executive of the Year race.
Detroit general manager Brad Holmes won the award–we’re assuming because his roster stood up to serious injury losses–and is a deserving candidate. Still, even if it is as a runner-up, it’s good to see Peters get at least some credit for crafting a roster that won 12 games in the regular season after inheriting one that won just four in the previous year.
