Commanders HC Dan Quinn announced they’ve ruled out QB Jayden Daniels and are starting Marcus Mariota in Week 3 against the Raiders, per John Keim.
Daniels underwent an MRI following Week 2’s loss against the Packers and was diagnosed with a sprained knee. Mariota, meanwhile, will get the start in Sunday’s game against one of his former teams.
Daniels, 24, started his collegiate career at Arizona State before transferring to LSU for his final two seasons. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 and was drafted by the Commanders with the No. 2 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Daniels signed a four-year, $37,746,650 contract that includes a $24,272,108 signing bonus and will carry a $8,578,784 cap figure for the 2025 season. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028.
In 2025, Daniels has appeared in two games and completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 85 yards.
Mariota, 31, is a former No. 2 overall pick of the Titans back in 2015. He signed a four-year, $24.214 million rookie contract that was fully guaranteed.
The Titans picked up Mariota’s fifth-year option worth $20.922 million for the 2019 season. They declined to re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent after he lost the starting job, though, and he ultimately agreed to a two-year contract with the Raiders worth $17.6 million.
After playing out his deal in Las Vegas, Mariota signed a two-year deal with the Falcons in 2022. Atlanta opted to release him and he signed a one-year deal with the Eagles worth $5 million.
From there, Mariota joined the Commanders last offseason.
In 2024, Mariota appeared in three games for the Commanders and completed 77.3 percent of his passes for 364 yards to go along with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
The post Commanders Ruled Out QB Jayden Daniels For Week 3, Starting Marcus Mariota appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.