The Washington Commanders have to feel good about their decision to draft Jayden Daniels second overall after reaching the NFC Championship game in his first season.

With Dan Quinn setting the culture and general manager Adam Peters helping fill out the roster with veteran free agents, the Commanders won 12 regular-season games and two playoff outings, with Daniels superb throughout the year.

Daniels would throw for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while rushing for 891 yards and six touchdowns to be the leader of the franchise many expected him to be.

But what is next for Daniels in Year 2? For ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum, he’s predicting a breakout year for Jayden.

“Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders,” Tannenbaum writes. “With a full offseason, he’ll vault into superstar status. Washington will certainly enhance its offensive line and depth at skill positions, and Daniels will only continue to improve.”

“Superstar status” is a big call, and we have seen rookies who dominate, as Jayden did, take a step back in their second season.

But with Quinn the tone setter and Daniels being as even-keeled a quarterback as we have seen in some time, the Commanders appear to be in a great position to double down on their success in 2024.

Free agency again looms large with Washington having roughly $78 million in cap space, and the offensive line and receiver positions need reinforcing, and so too does the defense for Joe Whitt Jr.

But is Daniels about to move into the upper echelon of quarterbacks in football in 2025? We wouldn’t put it past him.