Jalon Daniels has sort of been overlooked for much of his football career, so being an undrafted free agent entering the NFL was nothing new. But just as he did during his five-year career at the University of Kansas, the quarterback just went to work and let his play do the talking.
After going into training camp as a long shot to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster, Daniels will begin his rookie season as the primary backup to starter Baker Mayfield.
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“It feels great,” Daniels told the media on Tuesday after the roster decision was made. “It’s a blessing. It’s great to be here. Great to be a part of the Buccaneers organization and I look forward to being able to continue getting better here.”
The Buccaneers signed veteran QB Jake Browning earlier this year to a one-year deal with the expectation that he would be the backup, but Daniels outplayed him during camp. What the team saw from Daniels trumped the money they’d already committed to Browning.
“That’s an incredible accomplishment for an undrafted rookie to get that position,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. “I can’t think in the last decade another time it’s happened, but the No. 1 thing is, he earned it. It wasn’t just given to him. … You can go back and forth with the experience argument, but we’d rather have a very talented, prepared, inexperienced quarterback than going with experience just for the sake of saying the guy’s experienced.”
A second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2022, Daniels finished his Kansas career with 9,282 passing yards, 1,445 rushing yards and 90 total touchdowns. He provides an option as a running quarterback that can give Tampa Bay a different look when he’s on the field.
In his first preseason game, Daniels went 10-for-15 passing with 111 yards and also gained nine yards on three carries to go with a rushing touchdown. In Tampa Bay’s second preseason game, Daniels was 9-for-14 passing for 71 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 19 yards on seven carries. He got the majority of reps at quarterback in the Bucs’ final preseason game, going 8-for-15 passing for 57 yards with four carries for nine yards.
Between his play in games and in practices, Daniels slowly climbed his way up the depth chart to where the Bucs coaches and front office could no longer ignore what he was doing. In his mind, he was just being himself — just showing up and playing football like he’s always done.
“I have God on my side, and I truly believe that everything that I’ve been able to do up to this point has been because of Him,” Daniels told reporters after the team’s final preseason game. “So I’m not going to lose faith. I’m going to keep my faith in God, and at the end of the day, everything that’s going to happen happens for a reason. I’m going to let God handle those decisions.”
He was asked later about being an undrafted free agent and whether that mattered to him at all. He’s coming at it from a perspective of gratitude that’s rooted in his faith in God.
“My journey is my journey,” he said. “God put me in this position for a reason. Something my mom told me after the draft was, ‘I don’t know why you’re in this position, but at the end of the day it’s happening to you for a reason. I think that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.’
“If I’m in a position where I have to show others that this mountain can be moved, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to go out there and do everything that I can to be able to make plays. Draft pick, UDFA, it doesn’t matter. I got the opportunity to come out here and play NFL football, so I’m forever grateful for that.”
Daniels starred at Lawndale High School in Southern California around the same time as highly rated quarterback prospects like Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and D.J. Uiagalelei. All three committed to traditional powers — Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson, respectively. Meanwhile, Daniels committed to Kansas, a school with very little football tradition and the only Power Five program to offer him a scholarship.
But he helped spark the Jayhawks program, bringing them into the AP top-25 poll in 2022 and even getting some buzz as a Heisman Trophy candidate. He was the 2023 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, but suffered an injury in training camp that he re-aggravated in a game against Texas and had to miss the rest of the season. As a senior, he threw for 2,531 yards, 22 TDs and seven interceptions.
His faith in God has always been a major part of who he is. He shares about his relationship with God on social media, saying “All Through Christ” in his Instagram bio, and his teammates notice how much his faith guides him.
“People wrote [Daniels] off, but he always kept God in his life,” former teammate Elijah Jackson told the L.A. Times. “It didn’t faze him, not one bit, and I actually think it made him better, put a chip on his shoulder.”
At 23 years old now, Daniels is a little older than some other rookie quarterbacks, but the Bucs see that as a good mix of experience coupled with athleticism. Licht had plenty of praise for his new backup quarterback.
“There’s no blueprint for an undrafted rookie becoming your No. 2 quarterback,” Licht said, via reporter Sara Walsh. “Jalon basically wrote his own.”
“There’s no blueprint for an undrafted rookie becoming your number 2 quarterback. Jalon basically wrote his own.”
– Bucs GM Jason Licht on
Jalon DanielsAccording to Elias Sports Bureau the last time an undrafted rookie qb was active week 1:
2016 Trevone Boykin in Seattle pic.twitter.com/pbQtUgwMW5— Sara Walsh (@Sara_Walsh) September 1, 2026
The Bucs open the season on Sept. 13 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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