Jayden Daniels vs. LSU: Everything You Need to Know About the No. 5 Jersey Dispute and Everything Joe Burrow Has To Do With It
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Jayden Daniels seemed like one of those humble, easy-to-root-for NFL quarterbacks. That was until one of the wildest stories in football recently surfaced, with the Washington Commanders star right in the middle of it.
Daniels became the third-ever Heisman Trophy winner to suit up for LSU during his two-year run with the Tigers, proudly wearing the No. 5 jersey along the way. But with LSU handing the number to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett for the 2026 season, things took a sharp turn. Daniels’ attorneys reportedly informed LSU that the school could no longer use his name, image, and likeness. And that’s where this whole saga gets downright bizarre.
The story has all the ingredients of a football soap opera: Daniels’ old No. 5 jersey, Pickett being promised the number during his recruitment, and Daniels apparently taking issue with LSU moving on from his old digits. In other words, a jersey number that should’ve been a simple roster decision has somehow turned into a full-blown NIL showdown.
LSU’s Joe Burrow Treatment Has Jayden Daniels Seeing Red
Yahoo Sports took to X to share that an attorney representing Jayden Daniels has informed LSU that the university can no longer use the quarterback’s name, image and likeness (NIL), turning an already bizarre jersey saga into a full-blown standoff.
“The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player,” a statement from Daniels’ spokesperson read. “Jayden and his family had every reason to believe that his number would remain a meaningful part of his LSU legacy and would be honored and protected in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the university.”
So, what exactly set this whole thing off?
ESPN reported that Daniels’ frustration stems partly from the way LSU has handled Joe Burrow’s No. 9 compared to his No. 5. Burrow, who won the 2019 Heisman with the Tigers, has seen his number remain untouched since leaving Baton Rouge. Daniels, meanwhile, watched LSU hand his old number to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett for the 2026 season. There’s an obvious reason why the two situations aren’t viewed the same way.
Burrow’s 2019 campaign is widely regarded as one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history. He went 15-0, led LSU to its only national championship, and put together a season that became the stuff of college football legend. Daniels’ final season in Baton Rouge was impressive in its own right, but the Tigers went 10-3. That’s a pretty significant gap when it comes to the legacies the two quarterbacks left behind.
Still, Daniels’ camp apparently didn’t see it that way.
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin revealed that giving Pickett the No. 5 was actually one of the recruiting promises made to the highly touted player. That promise wasn’t fulfilled last season, when former head coach Brian Kelly reportedly kept the number off-limits despite Pickett being told he could wear it. The reason? Daniels’ opposition to the move.
With jersey numbers ultimately falling under the head coach’s discretion, and Daniels’ No. 5 not being eligible for retirement until 2028, Kiffin decided to make good on the promise to Pickett. That decision has now turned a simple jersey switch into an NIL battle involving one of the NFL’s brightest young quarterbacks and his former college program.
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