It’s official. Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is No. 5. So, if you wanted a Daniels’ jersey and were waiting on the number, it’s now safe to make that purchase.
With Washington’s first-year players reporting to Ashburn for the start of rookie minicamp on Friday, the team needed to finalize jersey numbers for the rookie class. The only problem was the number Daniels has always worn belonged to longtime punter and team captain Tress Way.
On Thursday evening, the Commanders released a video featuring Way with a No. 5 jersey in the background. One of Washington’s most beloved players will have a new number in 2024. Way first joined Washington in 2014 and is the Commanders’ longest-tenured player.
Since Daniels was selected No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft two weeks ago, there has been a lot of debate surrounding the number. No one doubted the selfless Way would give up the number, but at what cost? As it turns out, Way isn’t making Daniels pay him for the number, but instead having the rookie acquire him some LSU/Oklahoma tickets.
Twitter reacted to the news, and we’ve compiled some of those reactions.