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JuJu Watkins celebrates with Jayden Daniels after Washington Commanders win

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs10/06/25grant_grubbs_
Jayden Daniels JuJu Watkins
Photo via @Commanders | X

On Sunday, USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins attended the Washington Commanders’ 27-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Specifically, Watkins appeared to be there to watch Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was returning from injury after missing the team’s previous two games.

Daniels attended several of Watkins’ games last season, sparking rumors of a relationship between the two athletes. On Sunday, the Commanders’ official X account posted a video of Daniels and Watkins exchanging a special handshake.

Watkins was seemingly sitting with Daniels’ mother. In July TMZ Sports asked Watkins about her relationship with Daniels but she didn’t provide an answer. Now, fans will be left to wonder if there’s something more than friendship between the two star athletes.

Daniels certainly put on a show for Watkins on Sunday. In the win, Daniels completed 15-of-his-26 pass attempts for 231 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception. Daniels also rushed for 39 yards on eight carries.

During the triumph, Daniels became the first quarterback to rush for 1,000-plus yards in 20 games or less in NFL history. The stunning performance was likely a much-needed distraction for Watkins, who’s had a rough offseason.

Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past spring. Last week, the two-time first-team All-American revealed she won’t play in the 2025-26 season and will focus on healing instead.

“These last few months have been filled with a lot of healing, rest, and reflection,” Watkins posted to her Instagram story. “Recovering from this injury hasn’t been easy, and I want to say thank you — your love, support, and kind words have truly lifted me up during one of the most challenging times in my life.

“Because you’ve been with me every step of the way, I wanted you to hear it from me directly that following the advice of my doctors and trainers, I will sit out this season and fully focus on continuing to recover so I can come back to the game I love.”

Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals per last season, while shooting 42.6% from the field and 32.5% from beyond the arc. She also led the Trojans to a regular-season conference title in their inaugural season in the Big Ten.

While Jayden Daniels’ knee injury wasn’t as severe as Watkins’, he’s an example that a player can bounce back strong from injury. Perhaps he’ll be reminding JuJu Watkins of that fact as he goes throughout this season.