Robert Griffin III, speaking ahead of Memorial Day at Washington, D.C.’s Poppy Wall of Honor with USAA, says the Commanders’ offseason momentum can only fully pay off if Jayden Daniels can stay healthy after an injury-filled 2025 season.
Robert Griffin III looked past the ceremony and focused on the thing that has haunted quarterback careers for years: the body, and whether it holds up.
Ahead of Memorial Day. Griffin stood in Washington. D.C. in front of the Poppy Wall of Honor—an event tied to his partnership with USAA—and talked through what he sees for the Commanders entering 2026. His message was simple. even if the stakes aren’t: the franchise’s upward movement is real. but it hinges on whether Jayden Daniels can stay on the field.
The parallels between Griffin and Daniels are hard to ignore. Griffin galvanized Washington during his rookie season, going on to win the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Daniels has drawn similar attention after reinvigorating the Commanders as a rookie. winning the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year trophy and leading Washington to the NFC championship game.
But Griffin’s own path was derailed by injuries. He suffered a knee injury at the end of his rookie season, then a dislocated ankle in 2014, before Washington released him in March 2016.
That history shapes how he’s watching Daniels. Griffin said he’s hopeful the younger quarterback won’t face the same injury fate, pointing to roster changes that, in his view, have prepared Washington for another step forward.
“I think what Washington has done in the offseason has been really, really beneficial to the team. Getting younger on defense. Sonny Styles is a great pick at linebacker. On the offensive side of the ball, bringing in some more weapons for Jayden Daniels,” Griffin said on behalf of USAA.
He added that the Commanders’ recent additions—wide receivers Treylon Burks and Van Jefferson, as well as tight end Chig Okonkwo signing a three-year deal to bolster the tight end room—create depth entering the season. Griffin also credited the moves Washington made in the draft.
Still, the season’s hinge point isn’t talent on paper. It’s availability.
“But the ultimate thing is going to be, can Jayden Daniels stay healthy? And if he stays healthy, which I believe he will, I think that Washington will return back to prominence, and the season would be great.”
Griffin then connected the offseason construction to what he believes must come next from the quarterback and the franchise around him. He pointed to Dan Quinn’s defensive approach and to Adam Peters filling the roster with what Griffin called “exceptional talent. ” before landing again on the same question.
“I think what Dan Quinn has done is taken the defense in his own hands again. Adam Peters has filled the roster with exceptional talent. Now it’s just up to Jayden Daniels to lead the guys to the promised land and continue to work on staying healthy. His rookie year, he was healthy (and) you saw the result. Last year, he wasn’t healthy (and) you saw the result. Everything is deemed based upon whether or not (Daniels) can stay healthy or not.”.
Daniels enters 2026 coming off a season defined by injuries. The Commanders quarterback sprained his knee in Week 2, injured his hamstring in Week 7, and suffered a dislocated elbow in Week 9. Those injuries limited him to just seven games.
In March, Daniels told the reporter that he was feeling good after the disappointing 2025 campaign.
All of it sets up Griffin’s biggest concern in his own terms: the difference between a promising trajectory and a season that never fully gets off the ground. His offseason-by-offseason faith in Washington’s direction is clear; his warning is equally clear—results will track directly with whether Daniels can stay healthy enough to carry the offense through the long haul.
There was another thread Griffin couldn’t resist tying in, too: the possibility that his next chapter could someday run on the same stage as Daniels.
Griffin and Daniels could both find themselves aligned through Team USA flag football. Daniels has flirted with the idea of possibly playing on Team USA’s flag football team “if the opportunity presents itself.” Griffin. for his part. recently announced he intends to try out for Team USA ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“The No. 1 reason that I want to play for Team USA at the Olympics in ’28 is because of my daughters,” Griffin said. “They wanted me to play. When I was playing the NFL, they were too young to really notice.”
Griffin has four daughters, and he said his parents’ military service adds meaning to the uniform. His parents were both in the military, and he said wearing a Team USA uniform carries special significance because of his background.
“The second reason is because I know how much it means to wear USA across your chest. because of my military background. because of what my parents went through. because of the military community. I want to honor my kids (and) I want to honor the military. That’s been the driving force for me wanting to play for Team USA in 2028 at the Olympics.”.
As Washington prepares for 2026, Griffin’s pitch to the franchise doesn’t ask for anything new. It asks for the one thing that has decided too many careers already—and for a quarterback who has delivered when he’s been able to play. to keep delivering while staying healthy long enough to get Washington back to the kind of prominence he remembers from Griffin’s own rookie run.
Robert Griffin III RGIII Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels NFL injuries USAA Sonny Styles Treylon Burks Van Jefferson Chig Okonkwo Dan Quinn Adam Peters Memorial Day Team USA flag football
Health question? so basically pray he doesn’t get hurt again.
RGIII always been right about QBs staying healthy. But I feel like every year they say “one question” and then it’s still the same problems. Also Sonny Styles at linebacker sounds random, like who is he even guarding?
Didn’t Jayden Daniels already have some injury thing last season? I’m confused, they keep acting like it’s only 2025 that was “injury-filled” but injuries are forever lol. Griffin talking about his knee and ankle like that automatically means Daniels will be fine… or won’t. I don’t get it.
This is Memorial Day and they’re talking about QB durability like it’s a movie plot. I swear every time Washington gets momentum, someone’s sidelined and then it’s all “next year.” But sure, add “weapons” and younger defense and that fixes the whole body thing. Still waiting to see if that USAA event actually pays players more or whatever.