PHOENIX — Josh Harris and Adam Peters are just like everyone else who cares about the Washington Commanders: They were nervous when their team’s star quarterback, Jayden Daniels, agreed to play in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles earlier this month.

“I’m not gonna say I wasn’t nervous, but, uh, glad that we got through that one,” Harris, the team owner, said Monday as part of a wide-ranging interview with reporters at the NFL’s annual meetings. “He’s our guy. We have a lot of faith in him.”

Both Harris and Peters, the GM, said they left the decision to participate up to Daniels and told their quarterback they would support him no matter what. But doing so didn’t necessarily placate their nerves, especially after Daniels dealt with three different injuries that limited him to seven games last season.

“That was really Jayden’s call,” Harris said. “The league doesn’t really get involved in that, and everyone took their own point of view on that. My point of view was that Jayden’s someone I trust, he’s an individual. He’s a grown man, a grown person, and I left that decision up to him.”

Peters said he was in communication with Daniels about participating since the event was announced.

“Obviously, you’re concerned,” Peters admitted. “I think all of us were probably concerned about that, not just me. Probably me the most. But understanding that it was something that was important to him and just talking about the risk and the risk versus reward and all of that, and then he’s got to make the decision on his own.”

“But we supported whatever he wanted to do, and the thing about Jayden is he loves football,” Peters added. “He loves playing, he loves competing, and so I think that was something that was important to him. So I’m glad he did it and I’m glad he came out healthy.”

The five-on-five exhibition tournament featured former and current NFL players, as well as celebrities and members of the U.S. men’s national flag football team to promote the sport ahead of the 2028 Olympics. The event, which was billed as a partnership between Tom Brady, Fanatics, Fox Sports and OBB Media, was originally scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but was later moved to BMO Stadium in Los Angeles because of the war in Iran.

Brady served as captain of the “Founders,” while Daniels was captain of the “Wildcats.” Both teams were trounced by Team USA in a broadcast that reportedly generated modest ratings on Fox, with an average of 650,000 viewers and a peak of 909,000, according to Sports Business Journal. Fanatics said the tournament generated more than 300 million views across all platforms within the first 24 hours.

The NFL has promoted and helped spur the growth of flag football, viewing it as a tool to expand interest in the game. On Monday, the league took it a step further and announced that it is partnering with TMRW Sports to develop and operate a professional flag football league for women and men with support from an “influential investor pool” that includes NFL teams, current and former players, and established “institutional and strategic investors.” The NFL’s “32 Equity” investment arm will invest up to $32 million to help launch the league.

Despite the league’s promotional interest in the Fanatics event — Commissioner Roger Goodell attended — active NFL players still had to receive written consent from their teams to participate.