It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
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I asked Google to tell me who the best quarterbacks have been in Washington franchise history. Google instantly directed me to Lineups.com, where there were no surprises. What follows is taken directly from that website.
1. Sammy Baugh
No surprise for the top ranking here. “Slingin’ Sammy” changed the way that the game of football is played. He was the first quarterback in NFL history to have an offense tailored to his abilities, and the Redskins became a dangerous passing offense. Baugh’s accuracy and ability to throw the ball were unheard of at the time, and other quarterbacks and teams took note of Baugh’s newfound way to get the ball downfield. He is credited as being the first drop-back quarterback in NFL history.
2. Joe Theismann
Having played his entire 12-year career in Washington, Theismann is perhaps the longest-tenured “franchise QB” in team history. He was the full-time starter for eight of those seasons. In his career for the burgundy and gold, Theismann was a two-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl Champion, and league MVP in 1983. Sadly, his career was cut short by a devastating leg injury he suffered in 1985. Nonetheless, Theismann is still a Redskins all-time great and the all-time leading passer in franchise history.
3. Sonny Jurgensen
After spending the seven years of his career his Philadelphia, Sonny Jurgensen would find a home for the next 11 seasons with the Redskins. In those 11 seasons, Jurgensen would lead the NFL in passing yards and completions three times, making four Pro Bowls along the way. He would help the ‘Skins reach Super Bowl VII, where they would lose to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. Jurgensen would go on to broadcast Redskins games on the radio up until his retirement in 2019.
4. Mark Rypien
Despite making his NFL debut at age 26, Mark Rypien certainly made up for his late start with his play on the field. In six seasons in Washington, Rypien was a quality starter and two-time Pro Bowler with the club. His best season came in 1991 when he led the Redskins to a Super Bowl XXVI, where they would win the game, and Rypien would be named Super Bowl MVP. He might not be an all-time great, but he is immortalized in Redskins history for all he did for the burgundy and gold.
5. Doug Williams
Doug Williams was never able to show much as a regular starter in the NFL, but he came up big when it mattered most. Going into the 1987 postseason, HC Joe Gibbs decided to start Williams, despite him only starting two games in the regular season. This decision would go on to be one of the best in team history, as Williams would lead the Redskins all the way to a dominant 42-10 victory over the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Williams would be named Super Bowl MVP after tossing a then Super Bowl record four TD passes in the big game.
6. Billy Kilmer
After spending the first eight years of his career in San Francisco and New Orleans, Billy Kilmer would play his final eight seasons as a Washington Redskin. Kilmer would lead the ‘Skins to the playoffs five times, including a trip to Super Bowl VII against the Miami Dolphins. He finished his Redskins career as a one-time Pro Bowler and held a solid 50-23-1 as a starter. Kilmer was a quality starter who is often forgotten about by Redskins fans.
Championship seasons
Championships are important on this list, but not the sole metric. Rypien and Williams probably achieve their ranking on this list primarily because each of them helped lead the team to a Super Bowl victory. Theismann, who led the team to its other Lombardi Trophy in a league-MVP season, probably has the more substantial resume beyond the championship season. Of course, the Redskins won 5 league championships, and though it isn’t mentioned in the paragraph above, Sammy Baugh was the quarterback for the team’s first two NFL championship seasons in 1937 and 1942.
Other considerations
Of course, there’s more to making the list than simply bringing home championship tropies. Almost as impressive as his two wins is the fact that Baugh’s team lost 4 more championship games in ‘36, ‘40, ‘43, and ‘45. That’s 6 championship games in 16 seasons with the Redskins. Baugh survived 8 head coaches in his long career. He was named 1st- or 2nd-team All Pro in 8 different seasons and led the league in passing 4 times.
Of course, neither Jurgensen nor Kilmer, whose Washington careers overlapped from 1971-74, ever brought home a championship trophy. Kilmer had an outstanding season in 1972 when he led the league in passer rating and passing TDs, going to the Pro Bowl and suffering a Super Bowl loss to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. Jurgensen, however, was a 3-time All Pro, 4-time Pro Bowler, and 3-time passing yards leader in his 11 seasons with the Redskins. Both are in the Washington Ring of Fame; Kilmer is also in the Saints Hall of Fame, while Jurgensen is in the Eagles Hall of Fame. Neither of them won a playoff game with the Redskins outside of the 1972 post-season.
The rookie takes the stage for the Commanders
I’m going to assume for this exercise that Jayden Daniels is not going to exceed the accomplishments of Slingin’ Sammy Baugh, the man who led the Redskins to 6 championship games, and the only quarterback in franchise history to win two of them.
However, only one of the other 5 quarterbacks on the list above began his career with the Washington franchise. Mark Rypien was drafted by Washington in 1986. The next time someone asks how many late-round QBs find success in the NFL, you can remind them that 2-time super bowl champion (he got his first ring at the end of the ‘87 season as a backup to Schoeder and Williams) and Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien was a 6th round draft pick (#146 overall). Joe Theismann played in the Canadian Football League for three seasons before joining the Redskins. When he signed with Washington in 1974, he was 3rd on the depth chart behind Kilmer and Jurgensen. Theismann returned punts in his first season in burgundy & gold simply to get onto the field; he didn’t take over as the team’s starter until 1978, when I was a freshman at VCU. Jurgensen, of course, started his career with the Eagles and Kilmer played for the 49ers and Saints before landing in Washington. Doug Williams, you will remember, was the first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1978, where his offensive coordinator was Joe Jackson Gibbs. Williams spent two seasons in the USFL before being lured bask to the NFL by Gibbs — now the Redskins head coach — in 1986.
Jayden Daniels will have the advantage of being the team’s starting quarterback almost certainly from his first game in the burgundy & gold onward, meaning that he has the potential to spend his entire career racking up wins in Washington.
The question
It seems to me that Jayden Daniels, starting out his career as the team’s top draft pick, has the opportunity to carve his name deep into the history of the franchise. The question is, how deep?
What will be required (championships, individual achievements, accolades) for Daniels to break into the pantheon of all-time great Washington quarterbacks?
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