Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is not interested in being shut down for the rest of the season.
Daniels suffered a nasty-looking elbow injury in Washington’s Nov. 2 loss to Seattle. Head coach Dan Quinn said this week that Daniels is set to return to practice, though the quarterback has not yet been cleared for contact.
With the Commanders at 3-8, there has been some thought that Daniels might not suit up again in 2025 to keep him healthy for 2026.
But that’s not really what Daniels wants.
“It’s a day-by-day process, just kind of getting back in the rhythm of things, the flow of things,” Daniels said, via Nicki Jhabvala of TheAthletic.com. “If I’m back out there, I’m healthy, and I’m ready to go, I want to be out there.
“If I’m out there, I’m gonna give it my all, “Daniels added. “As a football player, you want to go back there and play. I’m a competitor — that’s who I am. So, if I haven the opportunity to go out there and play, [I want to]. But right now, just taking it day-by-day and week-by-week.
Daniels added that he’s been throwing, though he wouldn’t put a timetable on how close he thinks he is to being able to return.
In his six games this season, Daniels has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,184 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will return to practice this week, coach Dan Quinn said Monday. Daniels, though, is not cleared for contact yet.
“He will be able to return to practice. We had our first session today,” Quinn said, via video from Ben Standig of Last Man Standig, “but he has not been cleared for contact, so he’ll probably be unlikely to play [Sunday]. But, man, it’s good to get started and get the return-to-play going. That’s a big deal for us.”
Daniels dislocated his elbow in a Nov. 2 game against the Seahawks.
Despite the team’s 3-8 record, Quinn said the Commanders did not consider shutting down Daniels for the season.
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quad) is close to returning after aggravating his injury in an Oct. 27 loss to the Chiefs. Quinn said the Commanders will have to see McLaurin practice first to see where he is.
Safety Will Harris (fibula) could return to action this week for the first time since Week 3.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is making progress in his return from a dislocated left elbow.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Daniels is set to return to practice this week. Daniels has been out since suffering the injury in the second half of the team’s 38-14 loss to the Seahawks in Week 9.
While Daniels is expected to practice, he is reportedly unlikely to play against the Broncos in Week 13. That leaves Marcus Mariota in line to make his third straight start for the 3-8 club.
Daniels also missed three games earlier this year with hamstring and knee injuries. The Commanders have gone 1-4 in the games that he’s missed and they’ll be hoping that Daniels is able to avoid any more absences once he’s cleared to return from his current ailment.
Next year, it will be more expensive to attend games at arguably the worst stadium in the NFL.
Via Nicki Jhabvala of TheAthletic.com, the Commanders will be raising season-ticket prices in 2026.
While upper-bowl seats, which make up 25 percent of the season-ticket accounts, will remain unchanged, other seats will increase in price. The average increase for all season tickets will be just under 10 percent, according to Jhabvala. The maximum increase will be 16 percent.
In justifying the increase, the team has cited an increased demand and the investment being made in the organization by ownership.
Season-ticket holders were notified of the change on Friday morning. The renewal deadline is January 9. Accounts set to auto-renew have an opt-out deadline of December 12.
It’s ultimately a business analysis that each team has to make. What is the right price point? Set it too high, and seats may be empty. Set it too low, and the team leaves money on the table.
The fact that the Commanders have slumped to 3-8, with a five-game losing streak, won’t make customers ecstatic about reshuffling household budgets. But with a swanky new stadium coming, many may decide to grin and bear it for the handful of seasons that remain before the Commanders ditch Northwest Field for good.
The Commanders played in Madrid last weekend and they’ll be making another trip overseas in 2026.
It’s not clear where they will be playing in their next foreign voyage, but team president Mark Clouse said that the Commanders will be designated as the home team for an international game next season.
“The NFL has obviously demonstrated that there is a market for this. . . . For the franchise, it allows us to tap into a new audience and to begin to expand on a much more global level,” Clouse said, via Nicki Jhabvala of TheAthletic.com. “That means everything, from merchandise to social media to how we’re able to attract sponsors that may have a more global footprint. So, I see it both as a great fan opportunity, but I also see it as a really good business opportunity for the franchise as well.”
The NFL played seven international games this season in London, Dublin, Berlin, Madrid and Sao Paolo. The Rams will be the home side for the league’s first game in Melbourne next season and the league will also make its debut in Rio de Janeiro. There’s also a plan to play in Mexico City for the first time since 2022 in addition to the expected European additions to the schedule.
