Rookies don’t know what they don’t know. And it’s a good bet that first-round selections Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers learned that lesson this week.
The LSU teammates, friends and top-10 picks in last month’s NFL Draft, recently made a $10,000 wager on which one would be selected 2024 offensive rookie of the year. Nabers let the details slip during a recent podcast appearance, and attention increased when Daniels, the Washington Commanders’ new quarterback, received a question about the wager.
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Now, the bet is off after Nabers, the wide receiver selected sixth by the Giants, learned more about the NFL’s gambling policies before New York’s rookie mini-camp Friday morning.
“I’m educated now that I got here about sports betting and gambling,” Nabers said. “We’re calling the bet off. There is no bet now. It was just another brother pushing another brother to try to get to success. That’s all it was.”
All rookies spend the initial days with their new organization learning the playbook and the rules of being an NFL player. That includes the league’s gambling policy, which was updated in 2023. Several players received lengthy, if not season-long suspensions, for wagering on NFL games.
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While not explicitly addressed in the new guidelines, this type of private bet among friends garnered attention when Nabers shared the details on draft night while chatting on “The Pivot” podcast. Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, received a follow-up on Keyshawn Johnson’s “All Facts No Brakes” podcast.
“Man, he wasn’t supposed to tell nobody,” Daniels said in the episode, which was released this week. “It’s supposed to be — we got a little something going on.”
Like his top college receiver-turned-division rival, Daniels said Friday they nixed the bet.
“Yeah, we were uneducated on the gambling policy in the NFL,” said Daniels, who made his Commanders practice debut Friday. “We learned about it last night. Me and (Malik) had a conversation and we canceled the bet. Obviously, we don’t want to get in trouble or anything, so we’re just focused on being the best players for our respective teams.”
Whether Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the draft, opens the season as the starter — the likely outcome, though the organization isn’t pressed for such declarations — or not, all eyes were on the dynamic playmaker fans hope ends the franchise’s decades-long quarterback struggles.
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“Just being myself, being a hard worker,” Daniels said of how he’ll navigate this new terrain and leadership responsibilities. “Don’t try to be somebody I’m not. People see real from fake, authentic and who’s not. Just been going out there, just be myself, try to make connections, talk to people. Obviously, I’m 23. There’s a lot of different age ranges in this locker room, so try to relate as much as possible to show them I’m all about the team, I’m all about hard work, and I’m just here to get better each and every day.”
Required reading
- Caleb Williams, Dallas Turner and more: Our favorite 2024 NFL Draft picks at each position
- Realistic expectations for rookie QB class: Can anyone live up to C.J. Stroud?
- 2024 NFL Draft team-by-team rankings: Best and worst classes, from 1 to 32
(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
