How can Washington get back to the top?
July 1, 2024
by Steve Thomas
I’ve been thinking quite a bit recently about how the Washington franchise can get back to the levels of the glory days of the Redskins in the 1980s and early 90s. I realize that task is this a pretty tall order – teams like the three-time Super Bowl champion Redskins, with their huge, die-hard fanbase, years-long season ticket waiting list, league-wide respect and regular prime-time television appearances only happen rarely and never overnight. What would it take to get that done? Meaning, how can this franchise go from the very bottom of the NFL, which is where Washington sat at the end of the Dan Snyder era, to a popular, consistently-winning team? The first thing to understand is that if this franchise is going to rise up from the dead – really rise, on a sustained basis – to once again be viewed as one of the NFL’s top organizations, then this needs to be a multi-phased operation. Obviously, winning is probably the biggest part of it, but that’s not all Washington needs to accomplish. My plan, for lack of a better term, is below.
On the field performance
As we all know, in a general sense, the first and most important aspect to this plan is winning. Let’s try to put some detail to this, though.
The last time Washington won 11 games in a single season was 1991, which was 33 years ago. Washington only won 10 games in a single season 3 times in the last 32 years. They’ve been over .500 for two seasons in a row just 3 times in the last 30 years: At the risk of stating the obvious, the team needs to win. That isn’t news. To put some specifics to this, the first goal needs to be an 11 win season, particularly in today’s era of the 17 game season. Barely eeking out 9 wins every once in awhile isn’t going to impress people or pull Washington out of the doghouse on any sort of long-term basis. Even one random 11 win season isn’t going to do that, either. In my view, Washington needs to string together 4 winning seasons, including two 11 win seasons. They don’t necessarily need to win a Super Bowl, at least not immediately, but they do need to have some consistent success, and they need to go deeper into the playoffs than an occasional Wild Card weekend loss. This is goal #1.
They need an elite, star player
All big-time teams need an elite player that captures the imagination of the entire NFL fanbase. Washington hasn’t had a player like this for more than a generation. Clinton Portis was probably the one player who was the closest to achieving this status. He had 6 of 7 seasons of 1200 or more yards rushing from 2002 – 2008, and was known to be a colorful, entertaining personality. Portis, though, only made two Pro Bowls and only one 2nd Team All Pro honor, with no 1st Team All Pro selections. Portis was certainly a major name in Washington, but at the end of the day was probably in the second tier of NFL star running backs. Robert Griffin III got some national in his rookie year, but he faded far too quickly to achieve this level of stardom. Chase Young won defensive rookie of the year honors, but fell off, got injured, and was gone two years later. Beyond Portis and Griffin, honestly, Washington hasn’t had even a single player who has been a true star outside of the DMW.
Nobody else even comes close. Washington needs a player who exceeds all of those players, one who captures the hearts and minds of NFL fans all over the country. The most obvious candidate currently on the roster is this year’s second overall pick, quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington certainly hopes he works out and becomes the franchise quarterback, but there’s more to it than just some measure of success on the field. Daniels doesn’t necessarily need to date a model or a pop singer, but he’ll need to at least be entertaining, enough in interviews to bring in some interest from the larger NFL fanbase.
Beyond Daniels, Washington currently doesn’t have a great alternative candidate. We don’t know how the rookie class is going to perform, but of the veteran players, only Terry McLaurin is a legitimate plus-level player. I don’t view McLaurin as being in the very upper echelon of NFL receivers, though, and neither do most league analysts and fans. Also, McLaurin isn’t a vibrant personality that will get significant attention outside of Washington.
As a result, Washington needs to hope that either Daniels works out, one of this year’s rookies rises up out of nowhere, or some other future player arrives. Otherwise, this element is going to be tough to accomplish.
New stadium
One way or the other, Josh Harris is going to either get a new stadium done or be the beneficiary of a local government building a new stadium on his behalf through a truckload of taxpayer funds. However, I don’t think that just getting a stadium done is enough. This new facility needs to be the centerpiece of a large, impressive mixed use development. And it needs to have a roof. The reason I say that is that this stadium needs to host a Super Bowl and become a regular stop on the circuit of major events, such as the NCAA Final Four and similar-level events. The only way for that to happen is to have a roof.
The point is, a roof and major surrounding commercial development is the way for this hypothetical new facility to gain attention nationwide.
That’s the kind of stadium Washington needs to increase its level of prominence. They need to host a Super Bowl. A roof may not conform to the average fan’s memory of RFK Stadium, but in a location with a winter climate, it’s mandatory for the NFL to bring a Super Bowl into the DC area.
As an example, think about SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. That stadium is the centerpiece of a major commercial mixed-use development by Rams owner and commercial real estate developer Stan Kroenke. That particular stadium is one of the NFL’s premiere destinations and has definitely raised the Rams’ standing in the league.
In my view, a major development akin to what I’m talking about isn’t realistically feasible in the District of Columbia. The RFK site is in a sub-optimal location for a major commercial development. More importantly, though, the DC government may not even be able to fund a more stripped-down version of a stadium, much less be able to pull off a more extravagant development. Any NFL-quality stadium is going to be a bare minimum of at least $1B, and most likely much more. That’s a ton of money for a local government, even with the benefit of future bond proceeds. Remember that the DC government had to take a $350M loan to fund the construction of Nats Park.
Assuming that the recent bill authorizing the DC government to develop the RFK site passes and is signed into law, DC will be allowed to lead a development but (a) they will be prohibited from receiving any federal dollars, and (b) won’t be allowed to sell the property, only lease it. Neither of those things bodes well for the site. Plus, if I were Josh Harris, I wouldn’t contribute any money if I didn’t have an ownership stake in the property. As a result, to me, that makes the RFK site very unlikely to be what the Washington team really needs. Virginia and Maryland both have both better physical space and the ability to either raise sufficient funding and/or create a structure that allows Harris to contribute. Fans may not want to hear it, but the path to a major, nationally-recognized stadium probably doesn’t run through the District.
Owner influence
Dan Snyder was never an influential owner in NFL circles, even before he began to embarrass himself. He was never a part of any important committees and was never mentioned by the national media when it came to opinions on or management of league affairs. In my view, that sort of thing matters to the prominence of a franchise. The problem for Josh Harris in this regard is that he owns two other professional sports franchises. Will he have the time to be active in management of three separate professional sports leagues? I don’t know, but I tend to doubt it. Hopefully, he’ll prioritize the NFL since he’s made a bigger investment into the Washington franchise than in either of his other two teams. Or, for that matter, any other owner has made in any other NFL franchise; or any sports franchise in America.
The point is that one aspect of becoming a prominent NFL franchise is having an owner who is involved in league management in a major way. I’m unsure of whether Harris will have the time to do that.
Conclusion
If Washington can accomplish all of these things, the Redskins Washington Football Team Commanders Washington team can get back to the level of prominence that it has lacked for more than a generation. The departure of Dan Snyder was just the beginning. If this were a movie, Snyder’s walk of shame would be the opening scene. Brighter days are ahead; whether the happy ending takes place will only be known in time.