Jayden Daniels landing spots: Ranking the 5 top NFL fits for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner

Jayden Daniels is coming off of one of the most electrifying college football seasons for a quarterback ever. Yes, his 2023 Heisman Trophy season at LSU is one of the best statistical marvels of all time. 

He totaled 3,812 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns and only four interceptions while completing 72.2% of his passes. That output led to Daniels setting college football’s single-season passing efficiency rating record (208.0). Daniels was similarly dynamic on the ground, rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on 135 carries, good for 8.4 yards a carry. He led all college football quarterbacks in both yards per pass attempt (11.7) and yards per carry (8.4) while becoming the only FBS player since the turn of the 21st century to average over 300 passing yards per game and 75 or more rushing yards per game in a season in 2023. 

Just to put into context how mind-bendingly dominant his 2023 production was, here is how his Heisman season compares in totality with LSU’s other Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, 2019 College Football Playoff national champion and 2020 NFL Draft first overall pick Joe Burrow. The two award-winning campaigns are strikingly similar. 

LSU QBs to win Heisman Trophy 

*Best in FBS history

The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner will enter the NFL with 55 games of experience as a starter (29 at Arizona State, 26 at LSU), and he maximized that play time into being the only player in major college football history with 12,000-plus career passing yards and 3,000-plus career rushing yards. 

Here are the five best fits for one of the top three quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Daniel Jones doesn’t feel like the right choice to be the New York Giants long-term quarterback. Problem is the G-Men signed the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason. 

Jones struggled in 2023, throwing two touchdowns to six interceptions in six starts before a torn ACL ended his season. His 2022 run in which he had the lowest interception rate (1.1%) in the NFL appears to be an aberration and not the new normal. However, New York would have to eat $69 million in dead money if they cut Jones this offseason. That number decreases to a much more feasible $22 million hit in 2025.

One thing the Giants have struggled to do with Jones is get their downfield passing game going. He has never averaged 7 yards per pass attempt or higher in any of his five seasons in the NFL. Daniels could immediately revive that element of their offense. He led college football in yards per pass attempt (11.7) 

New York clearly needs a successor for Jones, and by the time he will likely be shown the door in 2025, Daniels will be ready to soar. 

What the Patriots offense Daniels would be a part of in New England will look like is murky at best. There’s a new offensive coordinator in Alex Van Pelt, plus the team’s top two tight ends (Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki) and both starting offensive tackles (Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu) are going to be free agents. The Patriots are projected to have $69.3 million in effective cap space, according to OverTheCap.com, which would rank as the second-most in the entire NFL. They can patch up some holes in a hurry. 

New England’s roster is guaranteed to look dramatically altered between the amount of cap space present and the start of the first year of the 21st century without Bill Belichick running the show. Daniels would be a stark contrast stylistically from the pocket passers used last season from Mac Jones — ranked bottom three in NFL in yards per pass attempt (6.1), TD-INT (10-12) and passer rating (77.0) — and Bailey Zappe — his eight turnovers from Weeks 14-18 were tied for the second-most in the NFL. Both of them played huge roles in the Patriots’ anemic offensive attack

Daniels led the nation in passing yards per attempt (11.7) while breaking the single-season passing efficiency rating record (208.0). He is exactly what New England needs to move forward. 

Whomever becomes the next full-time quarterback for the Raiders has the gift of being able to throw to three-time First-Team All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. Las Vegas unsuccessfully toggled between Jimmy Garoppolo (who they will release), Brian Hoyer and 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell.

In order for Daniels to end up with Las Vegas, new general Tom Telesco would likely need to trade up with the Patriots at least to acquire him. Daniels is on a different planet from an arm talent perspective than O’Connell. He could very well beat him out to be the team’s Week 1 starter if chosen in the third round. 

New Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was Arizona State’s recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach when Daniels was the Sun Devils starting quarterback from 2019-2021. That connection could lead for an escalated effort by Las Vegas to do what it takes to select the Heisman Trophy winner. 

The Commanders are entering a new era. New ownership (Josh Harris and his ownership group), new head coach (Dan Quinn) and a new general manager (Adam Peters). They are fully equipped to rebuild and rebuild quickly with $67.7 million in effective cap space, according to OverTheCap.com (the fourth-most in the NFL), and Washington has five draft picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. 

They have some solid playmakers on the roster already in Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin, 2022 first-round pick wideout Jahan Dotson and 2022 third-round pick Brian Robinson Jr. New offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was Kyler Murray’s head coach and play-caller with the Arizona Cardinals for years, so he knows how to design an offense around a quarterback with dual-threat capabilities like Daniels.

The Commanders can add more offensive firepower in free agency and have their roster ready to roll for their new rookie quarterback. 

The Falcons are loaded with young offensive talent. Their eighth overall pick in 2023, running back Bijan Robinson, totaled the most scrimmage yards (1,463) by a rookie in team history. That total also ranked as second-most in the league among rookies last season, trailing only Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and his 1,575 yards from scrimmage. 

Atlanta also has uber-talented pass-catchers in wide receiver Drake London (the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft) and tight end Kyle Pitts (the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft). Up front, two-time Pro Bowl right guard Chris Lindstrom graded out as Pro Football Focus’ top guard with an 89.7 PFF offensive grade. 

All they need is a quarterback. Desmond Ridder produced the fourth-lowest expected points added per play among 32 qualified quarterbacks in 2023. He’s not the long-term guy at the position. New head coach Raheem Morris said as much at his NFL Combine press conference on Tuesday. 

“If we had better quarterback play I may not be standing here at the podium,” Morris said.  

Daniels certainly possesses the ability to maximize the Falcons offensive talent around him and get Atlanta’s offense soaring again for the first time since the mid 2010s. The Falcons will have to trade up, likely with the Patriots at a minimum, to have the rights to acquire their next franchise quarterback.