---
slug: "washington-commanders"
title: Washington Commanders
depth_tier: program
side: UNIVERSAL
category: Teams
source_id: "NFL-0020"
created: 2026-05-12
updated: 2026-05-13
canonical: https://learningfootball.xyz/programs/washington-commanders
aliases:
  - Washington Commanders
  - Washington Football Team
  - Washington Redskins
  - the Commanders
sameAs:
  - "https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/wsh/washington-commanders"
  - Q212654
  - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Commanders"
  - "https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/index.htm"
---
# Washington Commanders

## Short Definition

NFC East NFL franchise founded in 1932—three Super Bowl titles under Joe Gibbs and a long history in Washington before relocating to a new identity.

## Definition

The Washington Commanders are an NFL franchise in the NFC East division, playing home games at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Founded in 1932—one of the NFL's oldest franchises—the team spent most of its history under the name the Redskins, winning three Super Bowl championships under head coach Joe Gibbs in the 1980s and early 1990s with three different starting quarterbacks.

Joe Gibbs' tenure is the franchise's defining era. Winning Super Bowls with Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and Mark Rypien—three quarterbacks with dramatically different styles across three different championship teams—demonstrated an organizational flexibility and scheme adaptability that set Gibbs apart as one of football's elite coaches. Washington was the NFC's dominant team in that period, competing directly with Dallas and San Francisco for conference supremacy.

Doug Williams' performance in Super Bowl XXII is particularly historically significant—he became the first Black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, throwing four touchdown passes in the second quarter of a 42-10 victory that remains one of the most dominant Super Bowl performances in history.

The franchise changed its name from the Redskins in 2020 following sustained advocacy and pressure from Native American groups and sponsors, playing as the Washington Football Team while deciding on a new identity before adopting the Commanders name in 2022. The transition marked one of the most significant identity changes in professional sports history and reflected broader conversations about team names and Native American representation in athletics.

## Example

"Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks. Different systems, different players, same coach, same result. Washington in the eighties was one of the NFC's great dynasties."

## Common Confusion

The franchise has had three names in recent history—the Redskins, the Washington Football Team (during a transitional period), and the Commanders since 2022. All three refer to the same continuous franchise. The name changes reflect ownership decisions about the team's identity, not any discontinuation or expansion of the organization.

## Related

- super-bowl-sunday
- lombardi-trophy
- nfl-films
- hall-of-fame

---
Source: https://learningfootball.xyz/programs/washington-commanders