The NFL’s Washington Commanders franchise is fully expected to soon be sold by owner Daniel Snyder, who has owned the team since 1999. At the time, the franchise sold for a record $800 million. Over two decades later, Washington’s NFL team is set to break the record again for highest price paid for a sports franchise. Given the lack of on-field success in recent years, many are asking: How and why? Despite the questions, the Commanders are clearly worth the premium price tag of $6+ billion.

 

Washington is a franchise that’s had more team names (three) than playoff wins (two) since the turn of the millennium. But the lack of a winning organization and culture now doesn’t mean that one can’t be built. There are still overwhelming positives to work with for the next owner or ownership group that will take over.

 

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

They say location is everything in real estate and development, but the importance of location is also big for sports franchises. The media—particularly on the East Coast in places like New York and Philadelphia—is fiercer, and the attention (good and bad) is heightened nationally. Small market teams can be great (maybe even preferable with how awesome places like Lambeau Field are), but winning in a big city is a different experience.

 

The nation’s capital of Washington, D.C., is obviously an historic location. The city’s NFL team being a contender can create massive excitement that in some ways reverberates throughout the United States. The President and power brokers—not that D.C. politicians should be glorified—can attend games and create more buzz around the team. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones put it perfectly at this week’s NFL Annual League Meeting:

 

Jerry Jones called the Commanders franchise “a national treasure” and said his interest is about the team becoming what it should be. “It’s a team in the nation’s capital, it’s highly visible and creates a unique perspective for fans.”

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 27, 2023

 

THE NFC EAST

Similarly, the opportunity to purchase an obtain a “crown jewel” franchise in the NFC East is incredibly rare—who knows what can happen, but there’s a chance the opportunity never comes around again, at least not in our lifetimes. The division has a ton of parity, with no repeat winner since 2004. Each organization has a storied history.

 

All of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders own a Super Bowl win—the only division in football that can make that claim.

 

The division boasts 13 Super Bowl titles, which is four more than any other division in the league.

 

The NFL is by far America’s most watched show (they had 82 of the United States’ 100 most-watched television broadcasts in 2022), and the regular season is mostly headlined by Sunday Night Football. When you think Sunday Night Football, the first matchups and rivalries that come to mind are probably the ones within the NFC East.

 

If Washington is built back into a winning franchise, they’ll be featured more prominently—especially at home, where they haven’t had many Sunday night games in recent years—in primetime.

 

Playing in the NFC East, the Commanders are arguably the most valuable sports property that will become available any time soon.

 

A CLEAN SLATE

It’s hard to say what a new team owner will want to do, but the Commanders in their current state offer about as much of a clean slate as you can ask for aside from an expansion team—and it comes from a franchise that has three Super Bowl victories. That should be highly appealing to those trying to purchase the Commanders.

 

Let’s start with arguably the most important position in sports: Quarterback. The Commanders appear determined to go into this season with 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell, who easily could have been selected on Day 2, as their starting quarterback. Veteran Jacoby Brissett was signed as the backup. Basically, there’s no expensive draft capital or big money committed to the position, which is an awesome spot to be for a team architect that might take over in 2024.

 

There’s also the head coach (Ron Rivera) and general manager (Martin Mayhew). Both will probably have an opportunity to keep their jobs if this upcoming season goes very well, but just about everyone would otherwise understand that new ownership might want to bring their own guys in and start fresh next year.

 

So quarterback, head coach, and general manager might all be new in 2024. Next year’s draft class, expected to be headlined by USC’s Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, (and I would throw Oregon’s Bo Nix in there), is seen as excellent at quarterback. If necessary, Washington should be able to find their guy next spring.

 

It would also be wise to look ahead and see that a team like the Cardinals might potentially have a good shot at getting the No. 1 pick. They have quarterback Kyler Murray under contract on a huge deal through 2028, so they would probably be open to trading the top pick to a quarterback-needy team. Just something the Commanders should keep in mind while looking ahead and potentially acquiring future draft capital to make a move in 2024.

 

(Lamar Jackson can also be mentioned, but a massive contract and two first-round picks is a lot of capital.)

 

Again, the team has had three different names in the past few years. However, I would think new ownership might be able to change the team name yet again if they really want to—they are spending $6+ billion, after all—especially considering fans are not happy with the Commanders name. So it could be really cool and fun for a new owner to work on their own branding for a premier franchise in Washington.

 

And finally, it’ll take a lot of work, negotiation, and money, but a new state-of-the-art stadium—perhaps at the old RFK Stadium site—is another clean-slate item that will be on the agenda.

 

AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD

Overall, the opportunity to build something special—building the team up at head coach, general manager, quarterback, the roster overall, the organization and front office overall—at a prime location in the best, most successful division in football is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If new ownership takes over and builds a winner, it’ll be something special.

 

Yes, the Washington Commanders are worth the premium price tag.