Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow might be at the root of the problems between Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and their alma mater, the LSU Tigers.
Daniels was the third-ever Heisman Trophy winner during his two-year stint with the Tigers, rocking the No. 5 jersey during his time.
The Tigers’ decision to give his number to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett for the 2026 season led to Daniels’ attorneys informing LSU that they can no longer use his name, image, and likeness.
How Joe Burrow factors into Jayden Daniels’ dispute with LSU
ESPN revealed that the reason for Daniels’ reaction is how differently LSU treats Joe Burrow, who also won the Heisman with the Tigers in 2019, and hasn’t had his No. 9 given to any player since he left.
“Sources told ESPN that Daniels believes he is being treated differently than Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, whose No. 9 jersey hasn’t been worn at LSU since he won the Heisman Trophy and led LSU to a 15-0 record and College Football Playoff national championship in 2019.”
Daniels and Burrow both spent two seasons with the Tigers, winning the Heisman in their second season, with Burrow in 2019 and Daniels in 2023.
The major difference in their perception by the university comes from the fact that Burrow’s 2019 season is arguably one of the greatest single-seasons in NCAA football history.
Burrow led the Tigers to their only national championship while going 15-0 over the season. Daniels led the Tigers to a 10-3 record, so there’s a clear difference in how important one QB would be compared to the other.
Why did the Tigers give Jayden Daniels’ No. 5 to DJ Pickett?
Burrow’s No. 9 is vaunted for being the symbol of one of the greatest NCAA seasons ever, which doesn’t apply to Daniels, although his Heisman season was remarkable in its own right.
Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin revealed that the No. 5 jersey was among the recruiting promises made to Pickett, with the same not being honored last year.
Former coach Brian Kelly was responsible for not allowing Pickett to wear No. 5 last season despite it being promised to him, primarily because of Daniels’ opposition to the decision.
Given that jersey numbers are at the discretion of the head coach and because Daniels’ jersey isn’t eligible for retirement until 2028, Coach Kiffin honored the promise that has led to this situation.
“I’m not going to judge something [that was done] when I wasn’t here. But when a kid is promised something to come to a school, he should wear it. So, at that point, I don’t think that’s really my decision. We should honor what he was told.”
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