Hall of Fame quarterback sets record straight on Jayden Daniels' comments

Bryan Manning, Commanders WireSat, September 26, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC

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Kurt Warner is one of the greatest success stories in NFL history. From stocking grocery store shelves to winning the NFL MVP award twice, Warner enjoyed a 12-year NFL career and retired after the 2009 season. He was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Since his retirement, Warner has worked in the media, providing excellent analysis, particularly of quarterback play. This week, Warner weighed in on Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and his dislocated elbow. It’s not a common injury, but Warner had one in 2007.

“Only thing I would say is I suffered the same injury back in ‘07, and I played the next week. I braced it up,” Warner said on ESPN’s NFL Live on Monday. “Obviously, a couple shots along the way. I had to hand the football off with my right hand in both directions. But, this to me because it’s a left arm, if he wants to play through that and get back out there and help his team, I believe he can. It’s not going to be one of those things that affects the throwing part of things. Does it affect his movement? Does it affect him running or some of the things they want to do by design? Maybe. But I do believe this is something that he can come back from, and because it’s a left arm.”

When Warner said this, he didn’t mean it as criticism of Daniels or as a question of his toughness. He was simply explaining the injury from his perspective and how it may not be as bad as some think.

Washington did indeed receive good news this week. After seeing multiple specialists, Daniels doesn’t need surgery, and a stint on injured reserve hasn’t been considered at this time, GM Adam Peters said on Friday’s edition of the Sports Junkies.

“He just got back late last night, and the guys are meeting with him this morning, and we met with doctors, like we said, all over the country, and we’re very thorough, and we really got a lot of good opinions, so now, it’s just a matter of sitting down and thinking about what the best course of action is,” Peters said.

“As of right now, surgery is not on the table, and we haven’t discussed IR (injured reserve). So, it’s just a matter of how we’re going to get him back on the field, and that’s still to be determined.”

Great news for the Commanders.

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Warner, who has taken unfair criticism for his thoughts regarding Daniels’ injury, posted a message on his Instagram clarifying his comments.

Warner explained that his situation isn’t identical to Daniels’ situation. He also said that, in relating his injury to Daniels, he was trying to give hope to a fan base that may have thought the season was over when Daniels went down.

It’s silly that Warner even had to defend himself here. He brought a unique perspective no other analyst could offer.

Warner was a guest on The Ryen Russillo Show on Friday and again reiterated his remarks on Daniels.

“My point was, I was able to play the next week,” Warner said. "We got it diagnosed. This is what it is: put a brace on it, so it was stabilized enough. Obviously, I got a few pain shots before games to make sure that I could tolerate the pain. And my point was just, ‘Hey, I had the same injury; yes, it was painful, but what I knew it wasn’t going to get any worse.’ So I could brace it, and I could go out and play. And so, giving the fan base hope that, ‘Hey, this maybe doesn’t mean the end of the season after Week 2.’ That Jayden could possibly come back and play, and play with the brace. And then, as you know, the aftermath is, ‘Hey, you’re calling Jayden weak or not tough.' I’m doing nothing of the sort. I’m simply just saying, here is an experience where I had it; I played; it’s possible that he comes back in the short term, not the long term.”

Warner again said his goal was to settle the Washington fan base, which was struggling with the news that Daniels dislocated his elbow for a second time.

In a world full of hot takes, yelling at one another on TV, or analysts speaking favorably of players their agents represent, Warner brought real analysis while offering hope to Commanders fans. That should be celebrated and encouraged.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Hall of Fame quarterback sets record straight on Jayden Daniels' comments

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Source: “AOL Sports”