The Washington Commanders were the surprise team of the 2024 season.
Behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders earned a playoff wild card berth and beat the NFC South division winner in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFC’s top team in the Detroit Lions.
SUBSCRIBE TO TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE
Josh Harris, owner of the Washington Commanders (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
All that’s left for the Commanders to do is beat their NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1991 season.
Champ Bailey, who played for the organization when they were called the Washington Redskins, told PK Press Club Digital that he was a big fan of the quarterback, but the team’s recent success began when ownership changed hands.
“(Jayden Daniels) is the real deal. I think you can give him a lot of credit for what this franchise is doing right now, but it all starts at the top,” he said. “Once Josh Harris takes over the team, and you get into the ownership team that he has…these guys, first of all, they love the Commanders because they’re all DC guys. And then you have Magic Johnson, who is the winner of all winners added to that.
COMMANDERS WILL HIT JALEN BLESS ‘LIKE A RUNNING BACK’ IF EAGLES DEPLOY HIM ON DESIGNED RUNS, COACH SAYS
January 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, United States; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Ford Field. (Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images)
“So the culture changes overnight. And now you recruit the right quarterback, and we all know if you can recruit the right quarterback, the sky’s the limit for your franchise. The fan base is probably one of the best in the world. I mean, I tell people all the time when I’m on the road, I have as many Commanders fans as I have Broncos fans, and I played in Denver 10. years after playing in Washington 20 years. I’ve been there ever since and people still remember my career like it was yesterday.”
Champ Bailey has teamed up with Truelieve. (True believe)
Harris’ group purchased the Commanders from Daniel Snyder in 2023 for more than $6 billion. The team got off to a bit of a rocky start in the first season with Harris and Co. as owners. Washington was 4-13 in 2023 and had the second pick in the draft.
Washington selected Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner from LSU, and his composure and collectiveness and innate talent for throwing the football helped the Commanders to a 12-6 record and their first playoff appearance since 2020.
Stream Super Bowl LIX for free on Tubi. (Tubi)
