ASHBURN, Va. – The Washington Commanders, at 3-9, are guaranteed of one thing, and that is that they’re finishing 2025 with a losing record.
After going 12-5 in the 2024 regular season and reaching the NFC Championship Game, entering the all-important month of December with 8-9 as your ceiling is not at all what the Commanders envisioned entering the year, but that is the reality they live in today.
Still, it doesn’t make December any less important. In fact, when it comes to the future of Washington football, the state the team is in now makes this month even more important. Especially when it comes to the development of Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and his quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
“It’s not the season that we had hoped for, there’s no doubt, but as an offense, you want to continue to build and get better, and that’s what this group has done,” Kingsbury said about the last five games of the year, starting with a trip to visit the Minnesota Vikings this weekend.
Nov 13, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury during practice at Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
‘Continue to Build’
What happens in the future will be directly influenced by what happens in these last five games, Kingsbury believes. So as those outside the organization continue to debate the upside versus the risk of Daniels playing again this year, the coach is only focused on the growth opportunities for his quarterback, and taking advantage of every one.
Because of that, Kingsbury says of Daniels that he wants him to “continue to learn as a player, continue to grow as a player, and hopefully have some of these weapons out there with him that we can build some more rapport with going into next year.”
Contract Uncertainty
Of the primary weapons Kingsbury is referring to, only receiver Terry McLaurin is under contract for next year. Deebo Samuel’s contract is set to expire this offseason, as is Noah Brown’s and Zach Ertz’s, both of whom signed one-year deals with the Commanders this past offseason.
Looking beyond the layer of development for Daniels, how well the group gels with their quarterback will certainly play at least a part in the decision-making process on how aggressively general manager Adam Peters seeks to bring each of the three pending free agents back in 2026.
Focused on the Future
Speaking to players past and present in times like this, you’ll learn that sometimes the eyes on the future do in fact extend beyond the weekend, and reach all the way out into their future after the season comes to a close.
For Daniels, his future is in Washington, as there is no doubt that while 2025 hasn’t gone to plan, it isn’t because of a lack of ability or belief in the quarterback himself.
With that confidence in place, there are plenty of reasons for Daniels to keep his mind focused on the task at hand, and Kingsbury has no doubts in his quarterback’s intent as the year winds down.
“I mean, he loves to play the game, and so I think you start there with just his passion for it, the preparation, the process, all those things.”
We’ll find out on Friday whether or not Daniels is expected to return to the field this weekend, and it may take until game time to be certain. Either way, it sure sounds like the intent is on No. 5 playing again this season, and doing it for the future, just not this year’s.
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