If Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels didn’t realize exactly how famous he’s become over the last year, the fact TMZ is sending paparazzi to try and track down details about his dating life should let him know.
The gossip website tried to get an answer from USC basketball star JuJu Watkins on whether or not she was dating Daniels, last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, after a video emerged of the couple (or are they?) walking into Watkins’ 20th birthday party together this week.
TMZ paparazzi found Watkins at LAX and she avoided questions about whether or not she was dating Daniels. Watkins, the reigning Naismith National Player of the Year, is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in March.
From TMZ: “We caught up with the college basketball superstar at LAX, and after getting her thoughts on her ACL recovery process … we had to ask about the rumors she and the Commanders’ QB1 were a couple. After all, the two were seen sitting next to each other at an NCAA tournament game back in March … and then they were spotted celebrating her 20th birthday together earlier this week. But Watkins wouldn’t respond to our camera guy’s probe into their ‘ship … offering nothing more than silence and a smile.”
Watkins, Daniels First Linked in March
Watkins and Daniels were first linked in March, when they were spotted sitting next to each other during an NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament game.
Just like the birthday party, Daniels was there with his mother, Regina Jackson at the basketball game — where she famously sat between the 2 young superstar athletes and sparked a frenzy of memes and jokes about Daniels.
Jackson, who is also an NFL certified player agent with multiple masters degrees, has been the subject of plenty of jokes over the last year for for how closely she monitors his son’s career, with a focus on her seeming to be omnipresent when he’s around women.
“I’m putting it on record. My son can date, he can live freely, make his own decisions,” Jackson said on “The Pivot” podcast on Mother’s Day. “However, with the relationship we have, he does value my opinion because when my kids were little, I did a lot for them and my kids saw that.”
Watkins Surefire No. 1 Overall Pick In WNBA Draft
Whenever she’s recovered from her ACL injury and whenever she decides she’s ready, Watkins is a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
The once-in-a-generation player is a Southern California native, just like Daniels, and was the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Sierra Canyon School.
In her first 2 seasons at USC, she’s been a 2-time consensus Associated Press All-American. Watkins swept every major National Player of the Year Award in 2025 after she averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 blocks and 2.2 steals.
Watkins, who already has one of the largest endorsement deals for a women’s basketball player in Nike history, also has sponsorship deals with Gatorade, AT&T, Dove and NerdWallet, among others.
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