Washington Commanders star quarterback Jayden Daniels became a legit superstar during his time with the LSU Tigers, ultimately becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft and winning the Heisman Trophy. However, there now appears to be a significant rift between Daniels and his former program.
The star quarterback is reportedly refusing to let LSU use his name, image, and likeness after feeling “profoundly disrespected” by the school’s decision to give his No. 5 jersey to another player.
‘Profoundly Disrespected’
The controversy between Daniels and LSU stems from the program’s decision to give sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett the No. 5 jersey that Daniels wore during his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2023.
Pickett wore No. 3 during his first season with the Tigers in 2025, when he earned freshman All-American honors. However, he showed up wearing No. 5 when LSU began preseason practice last week, a move that did not sit well with Daniels.
“The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player,” the statement from Daniels’ spokesperson said via ESPN. “Jayden and his family had every reason to believe that his number would remain a meaningful part of his LSU legacy and would be honored and protected in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the university.”
Although LSU has not officially retired Daniels’ jersey, a spokesperson for the Commanders star said that he previously made his wishes known to the program and did not want another player taking his number.
“Jayden made it clear that he did not want his number given to another player, and he believed his wishes would be respected,” the statement said. “His Heisman Trophy-winning season and everything he accomplished on and off the field cemented his place in LSU history. To see his number given to another player is incredibly disappointing and feels like a failure to honor the significance of what Jayden accomplished at LSU.”
According to ESPN, Daniels feels he is being treated differently from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. LSU has not handed out Burrow’s No. 9 jersey since he won the Heisman Trophy and guided the Tigers to a perfect 15-0 season and a national championship in 2019.
‘Remarkably Childish’
Needless to say, this move from Daniels sparked widespread criticism from the college football world.
“I say this in no form of disrespect to JD as a fellow Tiger. You not on the same level as Joey B,” former LSU national champion Breiden Fehoko wrote in a post on X.
“This man is going to let the team around him ruin his legacy at #LSU… All because of a jersey number that wasn’t retired or even hinted at being retired…it’s college football, numbers are passed down from elite player to elite player as an honor and legacy. Be proud,” wrote C.J. of Tigerbait.com in a post.
“How remarkably childish. Yet another reason why retiring numbers is dumb,” wrote Preston Guy of Tigerbait.com in a post.
“Going 9-4 at LSU and losing to Mike Norvell in back-to-back openers ain’t getting you a jersey retirement ceremony. Unless you’re doing Burrow or Newton type stuff you don’t get to transfer in and get treated like that. Want a legacy? Stay. Can’t have your cake and eat it too,” wrote Graham Coffey of Dawgs Central in an X post.
“He is so weird for this,” wrote Antwan V. Staley of the New York Daily News in a post.
“Are we serious with this?” wrote Parker Thune of On3 in a post.
Clearly, Daniels is not winning the PR battle with this move.
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