India, Oct. 4 -- Athan Kaliakmanis became an unexpected storyline in the Washington Commanders vs Colts game on Sunday.

The rookie quarterback entered the game after Marcus Mariota suffered a right knee injury in the first quarter. With Jayden Daniels already ruled out, Washington was suddenly down to its third quarterback.

That gave Kaliakmanis his first regular-season NFL appearance.

Who Is Athan Kaliakmanis?

Kaliakmanis is a 23-year-old quarterback from Antioch, Illinois. The Washington Commanders selected him with the 223rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

He began his college career at Minnesota before transferring to Rutgers for his final two seasons. At Rutgers, he started all 25 games he played during ...