There were 10 quarterbacks selected in the 2026 draft, but the first rookie quarterback to start a game during the 2026 season will not be part of that group.
Baker Mayfield’s dislocated thumb allowed Jalon Daniels to start Sunday for the Buccaneers against the Packers. Daniels went undrafted after spending six years and appearing in 49 games at Kansas, but he beat out Jake Browning for the backup job this summer and will now have the chance to lead an NFL offense before any of his peers.
On Wednesday, Daniels said Mayfield advised him to “stay calm, play like yourself, don’t try to be anyone but yourself” once he’s on the field and Daniels said his time at Kansas taught him he needs to be proactive rather than reactive.
“I think one thing I learned in college is you can’t be the thermometer, you have to be the thermostat,” Daniels said, via a team transcript. “You have to be someone who comes in and is able to set the temperature of the room, not test the room and try to blend in. If a team is low, I have to be able to pick them up so I can make sure they’re tied. If we’re high, then I have to be able to be low so I can make sure we’re tied. I try to be as balanced as possible. I think being able to go out and have that feeling of balance, the team around you does. feels.
An 0-3 start has led to a lot of talk about hot seats in Tampa, so the best thing Daniels can do in his first start is calm things down by helping the team win a game. That’s a big ask, but so is going from an undrafted game to a game starting a month into your rookie season and Daniels has already accomplished that.
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