Patriots

Jayden Daniels is reportedly uninterested in playing for the Commanders. Could he fall to the Patriots at No. 3?

The top quarterback prospect and his agent were reportedly unhappy with how Washington handled the player’s pre-draft interview.

By Kaley Brown

April 19, 2024

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The 2024 NFL draft is less than one week away, and rumors are beginning to run amok.

Jayden Daniels, who is projected to be drafted by the Washington Commanders at No. 2 overall next Friday, reportedly wants to be drafted by a team not named the Commanders.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the top quarterback prospect and his agent were displeased with how Washington handled the player’s pre-draft visit. The team reportedly hosted three other signal-callers at the same time, per ESPN’s John Keim, to the pair’s dismay.

“It’s tracking towards Jayden Daniels [to be taken by the Commanders at No. 2 overall]. The signs point to Jayden Daniels,” Schefter said on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday. “The Commanders are going through it after this week when, I think it’s a situation where from the outset, Jayden Daniels has had an interest in being other places. He just has.”

Daniels’ agent, Ron Butler of Agency 1 Athlete Management Group, responded to a video on X of ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio blasting the Commanders’ reported decision to host multiple quarterbacks at once. Butler liked the post and quoted it with a thinking emoji.

Schefter discussed Butler’s social media response and seemed to confirm Daniels’ displeasure with the visit on “Get Up.”

“It didn’t seem to go over too well with his agent who sounded off on social media that he didn’t seem particularly pleased with the process,” he said on Friday. “Daniels thought it would be a visit for just him, but Washington essentially opened up the process.”

Whether or not the Commanders will select the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner with the second overall pick despite the player’s apparent distaste is unknown. Perhaps Washington has plans to draft another player regardless.

Maybe the reports are an attempted smokescreen by the Patriots to scare the Commanders off to ensure Daniels falls into New England’s lap. Anything is possible during draft season.

Caleb Williams seems to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick set to head to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night. Exactly who goes next is anybody’s guess.

Two more quarterbacks could be selected at 2 and 3 in Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. could be taken in the top three, too.

Nevertheless, the Patriots have reportedly already hosted Daniels in Foxboro on a pre-draft visit. New England also met with the player at the Combine over the winter. The team has done its due diligence on Daniels and could select him if Washington does pass on him.