Unexpected News: Jayden Daniels American football quarterback just announced today that he will be……..

ASHBURN, Va. — Jayden Daniels’ first rookie minicamp practice did not include any “wow” moments where he could show his speed or all his arm talent. It was a routine one-hour workout designed to get the rookies comfortable with the Washington Commanders playbook.

But during those 60 minutes, his new teammates took notice of what Daniels could offer the Commanders.

“He’s a stud,” third-round wide receiver Luke McCaffrey said. “I know he’s one heck of a quarterback and a lot of fun to play with from a personality standpoint. I’ve had a blast in these 24 hours with him. … He’s just fun to be around; he’s good energy.”

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Added second-round tight end Ben Sinnott: “He has the ‘it’ factor.”

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Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Saturday that he saw what he expected from the rookie quarterback.

“What you don’t see on the tape is how much this guy loves football,” Quinn said. “He works so hard at it that it’s one of the things that makes my heart smile about him is the type of competitor he is and where he goes about his business. And so he’s here early, he just goes for it, and not everybody has that trait to say I’m not going to be stopped. And so it’s really cool.”

Washington selected Daniels with the second pick in last month’s draft, making him the franchise’s latest hope at quarterback. The team started eight different passers in the past four years, and nobody has started for more than three consecutive seasons since Mark Rypien from 1989 to 1993. Since that time, Washington has drafted five other quarterbacks in the first round, and none became the long-term answer.

Daniels’ presence led to more interest than usual in the Commanders’ first rookie workout as approximately 55 media members attended — at least 20 more than usual, according to a team spokesman. He smiled often and during breaks could be seen laughing with coaches or teammates. He lofted accurate deep passes down the middle of the field against no defenders and was accurate during a 7-on-7 drill, with one off-target pass that resulted in a one-handed grab by undrafted free agent Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint.

Daniels said Friday was just about “day one install” of the playbook. But he also said he soaked in seeing his helmet in the locker and putting on his yellow No. 5 practice jersey.

“Man, it was awesome,” he said. He added that scenes like this brought out “that 9-year-old kid in me, just realizing that his dreams came true, and now I’m here but I’ve still got a long way to go.”

Sinnott said he worked out with Daniels at times in the offseason — as well as undrafted free agent quarterback Sam Hartman. He said he saw Daniels’ accuracy on film and then realized it in person. He saw him, as others did, create plays with his legs as well.

“He’s a super talented kid, a great dude I really like to be around and hopefully grow with,” Sinnott said. “There are just guys who players naturally get attracted to and revolve around and he’s got that personality where you want to work with him and want to watch film with him and you want to be out here working with him.”

Daniels said this weekend is also about developing his leadership in the NFL, before he starts working with the veterans at OTA practices.

“Just being myself, being a hard worker,” he said. “Don’t try to be somebody I’m not. People see who’s authentic and who’s not. Try to make connections, talk to people. Obviously I’m 23, it’s a lot of different age ranges in this locker room, so try to relate as much as possible, show them I’m all about the team, I’m all about hard work.”

And, for now, it’s about learning the playbook and then earning the starting job.

“Just going through the lumps of being a rookie and trying to learn how to be a pro,” Daniels said. “I don’t have a definitive answer for you what I needed to work on. I’m just trying to learn as much as possible.”

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Tom Brady has regrets on roast, says he ‘wouldn’t do it again’

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Edelman handled Brady roast like an NFL game (2:10)

Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer

May 14, 2024, 08:24 PM ET

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What was billed as “the greatest roast of all time” turned out to be anything but for Tom Brady, who expressed regrets at the impact it had on his three children.

“I loved when the jokes were about me,” Brady said Tuesday on “The Pivot” podcast with Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. “I thought they were so fun. I didn’t like the way it affected my kids.

“So it’s the hardest part; the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and all of a sudden you realize ‘I wouldn’t do that again’ because of the way it affected, actually, the people I care about the most in the world.”

Brady’s comments came at the end of the 56-minute podcast, when he was asked by Taylor — his teammate with the New England Patriots in 2009 and 2010 — if he learned anything about himself from the roast.

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Taylor’s question was delivered more in the context of his connection with teammates and how it seemed to reflect their bonds formed in the locker room over years, but Brady instead focused on his children Jack, Benjamin and Vivian.

“It makes you, in some ways, a better parent going through it,” he said. “Sometimes you are naïve. You don’t know, or you get a little like, ‘Oh s—.’

“I love when people were making fun of me. … I just want to laugh, so I wanted to do the roast. You just don’t see the full picture all the time. So I think it’s a good lesson for me as a parent. I’m going to be a better parent as I go forward because of it.”

Brady added: “At the same time, I’m happy everyone who was there had a lot of fun. And I do think for me, outside of that, it always is good ‘if we’re not laughing about things, we’re crying.’ I think we should have more fun. We loved laughing in the locker room. Let’s do more of that and love each other and celebrate other people’s success. That, to me, gives everyone a lot of hope.”

Part of the podcast focused on how May is Mental Health Awareness month, with Brady acknowledging how he is doing in that area.

“I’m just doing my best to check in with myself as often as possible — with my physical health, my mental health, my emotional health,” he said. “It’s something I’m working on. Every year I think I start something a little different.

“I think this last year I wanted to kind of rebuild my body because I lost a lot of weight in my last season. It was challenging.

This year is a lot of work stuff. I think next year I’m really going to settle in to a better, more sustainable rhythm to life between all of our responsibilities. When is it too much? When is it not enough? You’re juggling all these balls in the air, and certainly for former athletes, we never know how it’s going to go when we retire.”