It's been a wild 24+ hours for Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. On Wednesday, Daniels participated in a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins, looking very sharp ahead of Friday's preseason opener. Late on Wednesday night, a story broke concerning Daniels being at odds with his alma mater, LSU, sending them a cease-and-desist letter over his NIL (name, image and likeness). The issue stemmed from Daniels reportedly feeling disrespected over LSU giving out his No. 5 so soon after he left, despite being one of only three Heisman Trophy winners in school history. Billy Cannon's No. 20 is the only official retired jersey at LSU, while Joe Burrow's No. 9 hasn't been issued since he left after the 2019 season. Reports are mixed, but at no point did Daniels make any apparent demands, other than requesting that LSU not use his NIL moving forward. On Thursday, Daniels issued a personal statement on his Instagram, saying training camp is his "number one focus" and that "Commanders football" is his sole personal focus. The player who received Daniels' old No. 5 at LSU, sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett, responded to the news on Thursday. "I've worn the number my whole life, since I was 4 years old," Pickett said Thursday. "It's the number I was promised. I wish Jayden the best. Good player, and he did real good here [at LSU]. So, that's all."
"I wore the number my whole life since I was 4 years old. It's the number I was promised." - DJ Pickett on being the first player to wear #5 at LSU since Jayden Daniels Daniels' attorneys sent a cease-and-desist order to LSU demanding they stop using his name, image, & likeness. pic.twitter.com/6ytlyIYUwr — The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) August 13, 2026 Pickett was correct. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin confirmed that Pickett was promised the number by former head coach Brian Kelly and his staff during his recruitment. Pickett wore No. 3 as a freshman. Pickett's father, Damien, also commented. "Honestly, man, this right here makes us want to wear the number more,” he told Koki Riley of nola.com. "LSU has not said anything to us about the number, about us being able to wear the number. Coach (Kiffin) has been in full support of my son through this process." The elder Pickett's ire seemed aimed more at Kelly and LSU's previous regime. "If we would have been told during our recruiting process and they had said, ‘Hey, No. 5 is not being issued. We can’t promise you No. 5, but we can talk to Jayden and see what Jayden has to say. If he gives his blessing, he does. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t; we would have moved forward.' If we were to have had a situation like that, it probably would not have blown up like this." He is correct. It's a tough situation for all parties involved. Daniels always stays away from controversy, so it's probably something he'd like to see resolved soon. He acknowledged as much in his statement. There are no bad guys here. Daniels, Kiffin, or the Picketts are not wrong here. It shouldn't have gone this far. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: LSU star, father respond to Jayden Daniels' cease-and-desist letter