Jayden Daniels wanted to play. He threw every day, ran drills, and pushed through rehab after his knee injury in Week 2 against the Packers. But Washington knew this wasn’t a moment for heroics. The Commanders officially ruled him out for Sunday’s matchup with the Raiders, and make no mistake, it wasn’t just about one game. This was about protecting the future of a franchise quarterback.

To have your starting quarterback sit out Week 3 is tough, yes. Yet, “ This did really seem like a decision that was not a difficult one for the Commanders, ” NFL insider Ian Rapoport said. And why was it “ not difficult “?

“One reason for that is because Marcus Mariota is their backup quarterback. He’s making a lot of money for a backup quarterback, $8 million. That is high, high end for backup

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