20 years. It has been 20 years since the city of Washington D.C. could celebrate like they can today. Since 2005 the Washington Commanders have been devoid of any playoff success, but that all changed with a new coach, a new owner, and Jayden Daniels.
Washington D.C. was once one of the proudest football cities, winning three Super Bowls over an eight year stretch from 1983-1991. At the time, that put them tied for second in Super Bowl wins in the NFL with the Raiders, only trailing the Steelers and 49ers by one.
For the last 30 years, the football legacy in the nation’s capital has been one of failure, mismanagement, and scandal. It all starts and ends with the reign of Dan Snyder.
Dan Snyder bought the team in 1999 for $800 million, after the former owner of the team Jack Kent Cooke, passed away. Snyder was a massive fan growing up in the D.C. area, inspiring him to make what at the time was the highest price for a team in sports history.
After a long period of scandals, lawsuits, and protests Snyder finally sold the team in 2023.
A period of seemingly limitless failure followed as in the 24 years of Snyder ownership; they had more name changes (3) than playoff wins (2) in his tenure.
The turnaround was completed this season with a complete reset, brining in a new head coach in Dan Quinn, a new quarterback in Jayden Daniels, and bringing the success the city has been longing for.
A sleeping giant has been awoken for the NFL in D.C. and with Jayden Daniels at the helm the Commanders will be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.