It didn’t take long for the noise surrounding Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels sending a cease-and-desist letter to his alma mater, LSU, over the use of his name, image, and likeness to draw a response from the man himself.
Daniels took to his official Instagram account to address the news that took the sports world by storm Thursday.
“I have been locked in on training camp and that’s been my number one focus,” Daniels wrote. “I have a lot of gratitude for my time at LSU and I’m proud of what my teammates and I accomplished there. Obviously there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU and my hope is that it will get done privately. My sole personal focus is on Commanders football. I realize the business of football is unique and I trust this can all be resolved.”
Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, won the Heisman Trophy at LSU in 2023 and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024.
He missed 10 games in 2025 due to injuries as the Commanders stumbled to a 5-12 record just 1 year after he led them to a 12-5 record and the NFC Championship Game for the 1st time since 1991.
“Commanders QB Jayden Daniels addresses the LSU NIL story, and makes it clear his full personal focus is on the 2026 NFL season,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Thursday.
Why Jayden Daniels Took Legal Action Against LSU
Daniels played his final 2 seasons of college football at LSU, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2023. The beef with LSU seems to stem from the use of the No. 5 jersey Daniels wore when he was with the Tigers and is now worn by star sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett.
Pickett wore No. 3 as a freshman but opened training camp for the Tigers with the No. 5 jersey. It’s the 1st time someone for LSU has worn the No. 5 jersey — which is not retired — since Daniels left the program.
LSU has a new head coach in Lane Kiffin, who was hired away from Ole Miss after leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff and after LSU fired Brian Kelly midway through his 4th season and paying him a $54 million buyout.
No one has worn the jersey numbers of LSU’s other 2 Heisman Trophy winners — Billy Cannon and Joe Burrow — since they left the program.
LSU has a new head coach in Lane Kiffin, who was hired away from Ole Miss after leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff and after LSU fired Brian Kelly midway through his 4th season and paying him a $54 million buyout.
Daniels Went 9-3 in Heisman-Winning Year
While Burrow and Cannon won national titles at LSU, the Tigers went 10-3 in Daniels’ Heisman-winning season and finished the year with a win in the ReliaQuest Bowl over Wisconsin — a game Daniels chose to sit out.
“The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player,” Daniels’ spokesperson said in a prepared statement. “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. Jayden made it clear that he did not want his number given to another player, and he believed his wishes would be respected. 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.”
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