The Washington Commanders have been the surprise team of the 2024 season.
Behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders earned a wild card playoff berth and defeated the NFC South Division winner in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFC’s top team in the Detroit Lions.
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Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
All the Commanders have to do now is their best NFC rival East Philadelphia Eagles to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1991 season.
Champion Bailey, who starred in the organization when they were called the Washington Redskins, told Pak Gazette Digital that he is 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 that franchise is doing right now, but it all starts at the top,” he said. “Once Josh Harris took over the team, and you bring in the ownership team that he has…these guys, first of all, love Commanders because they’re all kind of DC guys. And then you have Magic Johnson, who is the winner of all winners added to that.
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January 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; 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 almost overnight. And now you’re drafting the right quarterback, which we all know if you can draft the right quarterback, the sky is 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 away, I get a lot more Commander fans coming up to me than Broncos fans, and I played in Denver 10 years after that. I played in Washington. 20 years since I was there and people still remember my career as if it happened yesterday.”
Champ Bailey partnered with Truelieve. (Truelieve)
Harris’ group purchased the commanders from Daniel Snyder in 2023 for more than $6 billion. The team started off a bit rocky in the first season with Harris and Co. as owners. Washington was 4-13 in 2023 and received the No. 2 pick in the draft.
Washington selected Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner from LSU, and his poise and collectivity along with his innate football shooting talent helped the Commanders to a 12-6 record and their first playoff appearance since 2020.
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