For over three decades, it has been rough to be a Washington Commanders fan. Although showing glimmers of hope in 2012, 2015, and 2020, the Commanders have yet to reach success; they have only made the playoffs seven times since their last Super Bowl Win in 1991. The team has continued to trade away cornerstone pieces, most recently last season when the Commanders traded defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat to the San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears. When the organization changed the team’s old name in 2020, dissatisfaction followed from some fans (although many others gravely disagreed). To add, Northwest Stadium has consistently been ranked one of the worst NFL stadiums by multiple sources, including USA Today in 2022 for its poor condition. All things combined led to fans screaming at owner Daniel Marc Snyder to sell the team. 

However, a new hope would dawn over the fanbase on July 21, 2023 when Dan Snyder finally sold the Washington Commanders for a massive $6.05 billion. The transaction would be historic, breaking the record for the most expensive sports team sale in North America. The previous record was back in 2022 when the Denver Broncos were sold for $4.7 billion. The new ownership of the Commanders’ would be Josh Harris and his partners. Some of these names included NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson and billionaire Mitchell Rales. With the new leaders announcing their goal of making a new venue for the organization, it seemed like they were commanding the team in the right direction.

Although a stadium was one of the team’s crucial needs, another essential was a roster that could win games. In the previous season, the Commanders only managed to win four out of their seventeen games with their defense allowing a whopping 518 points–the most in the league–and finished the season off on an eight-game losing streak. The first step to success was hiring a general manager. On January 15, 2024, the Commanders hired Adam Peters as their new general manager. Before securing his job as the Commanders’ general manager, Adam Peters was the assistant general manager of the San Francisco 49ers and played a crucial role in developing the 49ers roster to two Super Bowl appearances in the last five years. With his new role, Peters hired Dan Quinn as the head coach, Kliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator, and Joe Whitt Jr. as the defensive coordinator. In addition, Peters signed 26 players during free agency, including star veterans Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz, and Bobby Wagner. Peters’ work was not done yet though as a key decision needed to be made at the 2024 NFL Draft. With the second overall pick, the Commanders drafted Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels. Although the Commanders have started 27 different quarterbacks since 2000, Jayden Daniels was praised and quickly named the Commanders’ “franchise quarterback” by several NFL experts and analysts.

These moves by Harris and Peters proved to be successful, as the Commanders now lead the NFC East Division with a strong 4-1 record. Led by Jayden Daniels, the Commanders have 155 points which is the most points scored by any team going into week six. The Commanders’ defense has been red hot too, only allowing 27 points in their last two games. If the Commanders continue their excellent performance, they could easily sneak into the playoffs. The fresh mindset of the front office, coaches, and players has finally led to a new hope for Commanders fans.