ONE
In their 92-season history, the Washington Commanders have had five permanent owners with the most recent owner - Josh Harris - taking over in 2023 after he led a group that purchased the team for $6.05 billion in July 2023. Before Harris, George Preston Marshall founded the franchise in 1932, Jack Kent Cooke then took over the team in 1969 and, following Cooke’s death, Daniel Snyder purchased the team in 1999.
Washington Commanders Logo
TWO
Despite the name, the team hasn’t always been based in Washington D.C. - in fact, it was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1932. The city of Boston and then-owner George Preston Marshall were both awarded an NFL Franchise in July of that year, and the team were originally named the Boston Braves - as they shared Braves Field with the city’s Major League Baseball team of the same name. A year later, after their move to the illustrious Fenway Park, Marshall changed the name to the Boston Redskins - a nickname that would be heavily condemned in the coming years.
FedEx Stadium
THREE
Over the space of three seasons, George Preston Marshall became unhappy with the fan support in Boston and bizarrely moved their 1936 NFL Championship Game matchup against the Green Bay Packers to a neutral location in New York - thus removing their home-field advantage. After losing the game, the team unsurprisingly moved out of Boston and into their current home in Washington D.C. in 1937. Marshall reportedly favoured the D.C. market due to the large amount of tourism running through the city, wanting to entertain the “displaced citizens” of the area.
Washington D.C.
FOUR
With the sixth-overall pick in the 1937 NFL Draft, the organisation selected quarterback Sammy Baugh, and the franchise took flight. ‘Slinging Sammy’ led the team to two NFL Championships in his first six seasons - entertaining the travelling masses, just as had been intended. George Preston Marshall continued to innovate in the following decade and formed a radio network to broadcast games throughout the USA’s southern states in 1944. By 1950, all Redskins games were broadcast over southern networks - making them the first NFL team to have an entire season of televised games.
FIVE
Washington reached the 1945 NFL Championship Game, losing to the Cleveland Rams, which would prove to be the franchise’s final postseason appearance until 1971. In the 1972 season, head coach George Allen coached Washington to the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance. However, the undefeated Miami Dolphins took the Lombardi Trophy home with a 14-7 win. The team finally returned to the Super Bowl in the 1982 season thanks to legendary head coach Joe Gibbs and league MVP Mark Moseley - who remains the only kicker to have won the award. That said, it was running back John Riggins who stole the show with arguably the most famous play in franchise history - blasting through Miami’s defense to score a 43-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XVII and thus help Washington to win their first-ever Super Bowl title.
Mark Moseley, Kicker, 1974-1986
SIX
Following an unsuccessful attempt to defend their title in Super Bowl XVIII, Washington made history in Super Bowl XXII following the 1987 season. Doug Williams, the backup during the regular season, became the first African-American quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl. After throwing for 340 yards and four touchdowns, Williams fought back against the narrative that African-Americans couldn’t play the most important position on the field at a high level. Washington defeated the Denver Broncos 42-10 and Williams was named Super Bowl MVP.
SEVEN
Washington returned to the top of the NFL world just four seasons later, as head coach Joe Gibbs became the first, and only, coach to win three Super Bowls with three different players at quarterback. His first came with the franchise’s all-time passing yards leader Joe Theismann, the second with Doug Williams, and the third in Super Bowl XXVI with Mark Rypien - all of whom benefitted from an impenetrable offensive line nicknamed ‘The Hogs’ and Hall of Famers like Art Monk and Darrell Green. Gibbs retired after the 1992 season and the team made just one postseason appearance between then and the 2005 season. In 1997, Jack Kent Cooke died aged 84 - resulting in the team’s new home (which would become FedExField) being named the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in his honour. After two seasons, his son John Kent Cooke failed to raise funds to permanently purchase the team, allowing Daniel Snyder to buy the franchise for $800m in 1999.
Darrell Green, Cornerback, 1983-2002
EIGHT
Under Daniel Snyder’s ownership, Washington continued to struggle - making the postseason just twice following Gibbs’ second spell in charge between 2004-2007 until the 2019 season. The team hired two-time Super Bowl champion head coach Mike Shanahan in 2010, and, after trading up to select quarterback Robert Griffin III in 2012, things appeared to improve - as the team reached the playoffs behind RGIII’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl campaign. But the franchise was rocked when the quarterback suffered a serious knee injury against the Seattle Seahawks. Griffin could never replicate the electrifying skills he displayed as a rookie and was eventually released in 2016 - nearly three years after Shanahan was fired. In 2020, after pressure from sponsors, fans and protests, Snyder retired the ‘Redskins’ moniker that many considered offensive.
Robert Griffin III, Quarterback, 2012-2015
NINE
Temporarily named the Washington Football Team until 2022, the franchise entered a new era in 2020. Behind wide receiver Terry McLaurin the team won their division under new head coach Ron Rivera - but their year ended at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Washington then became the Commanders in 2022, with Daniel Snyder selling the team to a group headlined by businessman Josh Harris, who is also a minority owner of English football club Crystal Palace. In 2023, lackluster performances at the quarterback position resulted in a disappointing 4-13 finish. Therefore, Rivera was fired and replaced by Dan Quinn, who used the second-overall pick to select QB Jayden Daniels - in the hope that the LSU star can take the Commanders to another level.
Terry McLaurin, Wide Receiver, 2019-Present
BEFORE YOU GO
In August 2024, Managing Partner Josh Harris announced that the team's stadium would now be called Northwest Stadium
The Commanders have strong rivalries with the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants, all part of the NFC East division.
According to Forbes, the Washington Commanders net worth is estimated at $6.05 billion as of 2023.
