Robert Griffin III praises Washington Commanders for treating Jayden Daniels injury different than his

The Washington Commanders are sidelining quarterback Jayden Daniels for their game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Daniels is recovering from a knee injury.

The organization hasn’t always been so careful with its quarterbacks. On Friday, Robert Griffin III, who played QB for the Washington Redskins for three seasons, praised the organization for playing it safe with Daniels’ injury.

“The Washington Commanders are doing the right thing with Jayden Daniels by not playing him with a knee injury,” Griffin wrote on X. “Don’t play with his long-term future for short-term gain. All players want to play, but it is the organization’s job to protect the players’ future. Bravo.”

Similar to Daniels, Griffin was spectacular in his debut NFL campaign. He completed 65.6% of his pass attempts for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns, compared to just five interceptions.

Additionally, Griffin racked up 815 yards and seven scores in the ground game. Griffin posted the highest passer rating and touchdown-to-interception ratio by a rookie in NFL history. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

While Griffin was immensely successful during his rookie season, he suffered several injury scares throughout the season. Specifically, in Week 14, Griffin suffered a Grade 1 LCL sprain but played for a while longer before permanently exiting the game.

Griffin ended up suffering more severe injuries to his ACL and LCL in the Redskins’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Playoffs. It was later revealed that Dr. James Andrews had not cleared Griffin to return after his initial injury in the Week 14 game, despite prior contrasting comments from head coach Mike Shanahan.

While Griffin played in the team’s season-opener the following year, he never looked quite the same. Moreover, Griffin continued to battle injury issues throughout his career, including a dislocated ankle, shoulder fracture and multiple concussions.

Robert Griffin III doesn’t want to see Jayden Daniels suffer a similar fate. The second-year QB had a historic 2024 campaign, notching the highest completion percentage and most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.

Daniels’ individual success translated to the Commanders’ win column. The former LSU standout led the Commanders to the NFC Championship, their first appearance in the game since 1991. Now, Daniels will look to make a full recovery and guide the Commanders to new heights.

Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback for the Commanders on Sunday. Washington will square off against the Raiders at 1 p.m. ET.