Academic issues

On January 9, 2014, Daniels was suspended for the spring semester for an academic issue, and was not permitted to practice with the team.^[5] Daniels was deemed academically ineligible by the university, and was already on academic probation after failing to keep a 2.0 GPA in the fall semester.^[6] On May 28, 2014, he was re-instated by the university.^[7]

On August 15, 2014, the university announced that they were investigating suspected academic dishonesty on the part of several students, including members of the football team,^[8] Daniels along with KeiVarae Russell, Kendall Moore and Ishaq Williams were those named in the investigation, with another player, Eilar Hardy, named a few weeks later. Daniels maintained that he was innocent and that he "wrote his own papers".^[9] On October 14, 2014, nearly two months since the school announced the investigation, DaVaris' father took to Twitter to announce that his son was "done" at Notre Dame and would be moving onto other options.^[10]

Daniels announced his intentions to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL draft.^[11]

Pre-draft

At his Pro Day, Daniels put up a 39.5-inch vertical jump, improving on his combine number by 2.5 inches. He also improved his 40-yard dash time from 4.62 at the combine to 4.53 seconds, and his broad jump from 10 feet 2 inches (3.10 m) to 11 ft 1 in (3.38 m).

Minnesota Vikings

Daniels signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings following going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft worth $1,585,000. He received a $10,000 signing bonus.^[13]

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots claimed Daniels off waivers on September 1, 2015. Daniels was waived by the Patriots only 3 days later.^[14]

Calgary Stampeders

Daniels signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in time for their 2016 season.^[15] Daniels played in 11 games for the Stampeders in his rookie season, catching 51 passes for 885 yards with 9 touchdowns. His contributions on the field were noticed by his teammates and around the league and he received the award for the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award.^[16] Daniels had reasonably good second season in the CFL, playing in 13 games catching 47 passes for 743 yards with 4 touchdowns. In the 105th Grey Cup game Daniels caught 11 passes for 113 yards. Daniels was re-signed by the Stamps on the eve of free agency.^[17] Daniels played in the first 12 games of the 2018 season for the Stampeders, catching 50 passes for 747 yards with 7 touchdowns. Following the teams Week 14 victory over the Tiger-Cats Head Coach Dave Dickenson revealed that Daniels had suffered a broken collarbone.^[18]

Edmonton Eskimos

On February 12, 2019, the first day of free agency, Daniels signed with the Edmonton Eskimos.^[19] He played and started in 13 regular season games where he recorded 54 receptions for 738 yards and two touchdowns.^[20]

Toronto Argonauts

On February 11, 2020, Daniels signed with the Toronto Argonauts.^[21] However, he did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season and he re-structured his contract with the Argonauts on January 31, 2021.^[22] In 2021, he played in 13 regular season games where he had 51 catches for 597 yards and four touchdowns.^[20]

On July 16, 2022, in Touchdown Atlantic, Daniels scored the first touchdown in the first CFL regular season game played in Nova Scotia after catching a seven-yard pass from McLeod Bethel-Thompson.^[23] He played in 16 regular season games in 2022, starting in 15, where he had 61 catches for 860 yards and four touchdowns.^[24] He also played in both post-season games, including the 109th Grey Cup, where he had seven receptions for 58 yards in the victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.^[24]

In 2023, Daniels played and started in 17 regular season games where he recorded 52 catches for 1,009 yards and eight touchdowns.^[20] This marked the first 1000-yard season in his career.^[20] Daniels was then named a CFL Division All-Star for the first time.^[25] He also played in the East Final loss to the Montreal Alouettes where he had four catches for 77 yards and one touchdown.^[20]

In the 2024 season, Daniels played and started in 16 regular season games where he had 48 receptions for 622 yards and two touchdowns.^[26] He also played in all three post-season games, including the 111th Grey Cup where he had three receptions for 37 yards in the Argonauts' 41–24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.^[27]

Daniels played in 10 games in 2025 where he had 30 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 10, 2026.^[28]