There's a solid chance the NFL puts Jayden Daniels in a spot he's never experienced before in 2025
Jayden Daniels has accomplished a ton in his football career, but one thing he has never done is a play a game in a different country.That is certainly on track to change in 2025. The Washington Commanders are already on the NFL's shortlist to play in Madrid, Spain since the Miami Dolphins are hosting that […]
Jayden Daniels has accomplished a ton in his football career, but one thing he has never done is a play a game in a different country.
That is certainly on track to change in 2025. The Washington Commanders are already on the NFL's shortlist to play in Madrid, Spain since the Miami Dolphins are hosting that game. Now, they're on an even shorter list, thanks to the league's latest announcement stating the Los Angeles Chargers will host the international game in São Paulo, Brazil.
There's also the fact Washington hasn't played overseas since 2016. After its incredible 2024 season, it makes all the sense in the world to get that back on track.
Regardless, due to the recent news regarding the Chargers, the Commanders are now one of seven possible teams that could play the visitor role in Madrid against Miami. When it comes to the Chargers opponents, the Commanders are one of six teams that could play visitor in São Paulo.
That's because the New York Jets are already slated to play in London and then obviously the Chargers are in Brazil, on the Dolphins' side of things. Then, on the Chargers' side, the Indianapolis Colts are hosting the league's Germany game, the Philadelphia Eagles will open the season in Philly on Thursday night, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting the Ireland game.
And as it turns out, the Commanders are the only team to appear on both teams' visitor lists.
The NFL would be silly to dismiss the Commanders in one of these games. Daniels and Co. lit the NFL world on fire in 2024 and are in great shape to be even better in 2025. Plus, matchups featuring either Daniels vs. Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert would pit two of the NFL's premier, young signal-callers against each other, which is usually a consistent recipe for fun in-between the sidelines.
The one thing that could keep Washington out of Brazil is disappointing but also logical and that's market size. In a recent 2023 poll, the Commanders came in at No. 28 in terms of the size of their fan base in Brazil. However, the Chargers came in at No. 19, so it's clear that's not the end-all-be-all for the league.
At this point, I'd say it'd be a surprise if the Commanders aren't playing in one of these two games. If not, then the NFL really missed out on a good opportunity to show off one its more fascinating teams on the international stage.
