Jalon Daniels spent Sunday afternoon trying to beat the quarterback whose poster hung on his wall growing up. He came up one overtime drive short. Then he walked across the field and asked Aaron Rodgers for his jersey.
On Tuesday night the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released the moment from the field at Raymond James Stadium after Pittsburgh’s 26-19 overtime win on October 18. In the 10-second clip, the undrafted rookie starts with an apology. “I don’t want to be that guy, A-Rod, but…” Daniels says. Rodgers, in a black Steelers cap, cuts him off with a grin: “I’m going to send it over.”
“Appreciate that, baby,” Daniels says. “Thank you.” “Yeah, likewise,” Rodgers answers, and then he turns the request around: “Hey, can I get that one?” Daniels thanks him twice more before they part. “Appreciate you, A-Rod.”
“Some of these kids were watching me when they were in diapers”
Rodgers had already been told about the poster before the clip came out. In his on-field interview right after the game, sideline reporter AJ Ross told him she had spoken with Daniels’ mother before kickoff, and that her son was a huge fan who grew up with a Rodgers poster. Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, laughed about the age gap.
“Some of these kids were watching me when they were in diapers, so that’s how old I am,” he said. “But I appreciate their respect. Super respectful guy. I like his game, I like the way he throws it. Obviously super talented with his feet. But I’m excited to see how he develops.”
He also pointed to the man Daniels is filling in for. “Learning behind a guy who’s played a long time like Baker is obviously gonna be great for him,” Rodgers said. “But I appreciate the respect, and I’m probably gonna send a jersey over.” The Buccaneers’ video shows the swap was settled face to face before either quarterback left the field.
A hard afternoon against his idol
The game itself was rough on the rookie from Kansas. Daniels completed 22 of 43 passes for 164 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in his third NFL start. Tampa Bay led 16-3 going into the fourth quarter before Rodgers rallied the Steelers. A Darnell Washington touchdown catch and three Chris Boswell field goals put Pittsburgh in front, and the last of those kicks came after Jamel Dean intercepted Daniels and returned it 40 yards to the Tampa Bay 3. Chase McLaughlin’s 53-yarder with eight seconds left forced overtime.
Rodgers then led a 12-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass to rookie Germie Bernard. Tampa Bay got one last chance, and it ended when Jalen Ramsey sacked Daniels on fourth down. Rodgers finished 33 of 49 for 253 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The two touchdown passes tied him with Peyton Manning for third in NFL history with 539.
Daniels described the final play in his postgame news conference. “They ended up bringing a nickel pressure off the edge,” he said. “And I tried to be able to make Jalen Ramsey miss, and he just did a good job of wrapping me up and making a tackle.”
He did not hide from the turnovers. “I did not want to throw that interception to Jamel Dean,” he said. “It’s not who I am. It’s not what I like to put on film, and obviously it’s going to be a growing moment for me.” He said he would not start playing it safe because of them. “Once you start putting negative thoughts in your head, you’re losing already,” Daniels said.
“I’ve proved myself that I’m able to play at this level”
Daniels is 1-2 as a starter, with the win coming in Dallas. “I’ll tell you what, I’d be a lot more happier if we were 3-0,” he said on Sunday. “But happy with the opportunity that I got the chance to be able to go out here and play with a whole bunch of elite playmakers.” He added: “For me, I believe that I’ve proved myself that I’m able to play at this level.”
He said Baker Mayfield, who is out with a dislocated right thumb, was one of the first people to reach him after his second interception. “He said that you’re going to get the ball back, and you’ve got to go out there and be able to win,” Daniels said. “So I believe my connection with Baker has continued to keep growing every single week, and I don’t think it will stop now.”
That connection now comes with a decision. Head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that Mayfield is supposed to practice on Wednesday and that the team will evaluate him through the week. Asked if Tampa Bay is preparing as if Daniels will start, Bowles said: “I think you have to. Both will be in the meetings, and we’ll see how the week goes before we decide who it is.”
The 1-5 Buccaneers host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 25, at 1 p.m. ET (8 p.m. in Cairo). The 4-2 Steelers play the New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France the same day at 9:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. in Cairo), the first regular-season NFL game in France. Somewhere in that week, a black-and-gold No. 8 jersey should be on its way to Tampa.
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