Following the firing of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels, is unhappy with the current situation and may request a trade in the future. After having a disastrous 5-12 season, the Commanders are making massive moves in their coaching staff, including firing Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt. While the Commanders are cleaning up and starting over, Daniels is not happy that Kingsbury is gone. To no surprise, the two have developed one of the best offenses during their debut with the Commanders in 2024.
This could raise a lot of tension this upcoming offseason, and a trade involving Daniels might be a possibility here if the Commanders struggle once again for the 2026 regular season. Daniels still has two years left in his current rookie contract and is eligible for a new deal, but it’ll be interesting to see if the quarterback desires to stay with the Commanders long-term.
Jayden Daniels “Unhappy” – Could Request Trade After Kliff Kingsbury Firing
It’s not only Daniels who is unhappy, but several other players are upset that the former offensive coordinator is going elsewhere. Washington already has had several injury issues in the team, including Daniels, who the Commanders continued to play in a meaningless blowout matchup against the Seattle Seahawks a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately for Daniels, he suffered a gruesome injury.
Still, he was luckily able to return for at least one game until the Commanders finally shut him down for the rest of the 2025 season. Now, the goal for the Commanders is to protect Daniels and build a reliable offense around him, because he could become frustrated and request a trade in the next few years to join one of these teams.
Potential Dream Teams
Cincinnati Bengals
Daniels has been linked to the Cincinnati Bengals in the latest trade rumors in exchange for Joe Burrow. This is the most likely destination for Daniels if the Commanders are forced to move on. Burrow hasn’t been the same since almost bringing the Bengals to a postseason appearance during the 2024 regular season, but inconsistencies from his team and injuries have caught up to him. The Bengals haven’t given Burrow any hint that they’re moving on, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens in March once the new league year begins.
The thought of Daniels heading to Cincinnati in exchange for Burrow sounds insane, but it’s not impossible. Both would get a fresh start and expect to be the most shocking trade since the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff exchange.
Indianapolis Colts
Meanwhile, the Colts still have to address their quarterback situation. While they want to re-sign Daniel Jones, they need to find a franchise quarterback so they can finally move on without Anthony Richardson. Indianapolis was desperate and brought back Philip Rivers, but it wasn’t enough to haul in wins. Now, with Rivers expected to retire once again, the Colts could entertain a trade involving Daniels since they have the receivers, including Michael Pittman Jr., and draft picks to facilitate one.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are one quarterback away from being a postseason contender. They found that in JJ McCarthy towards the end of the 2025 season, but he can’t stay healthy and consistent. He still has potential, but he might need to stay as the backup and bring in someone via a trade to get this offense back to speed. Sam Darnold’s impact in 2024 shows that this offense can be good, and if the Vikings want to risk it all for Daniels, they could do that if McCarthy can’t figure it out.