Business is thriving once more for Washington’s ‘sleeping giant’ NFL franchise.
With a winning record and an electrifying young quarterback in Jayden Daniels, the Commanders are revitalizing a faltering fan base.
The Commanders have sold out all of their home contests this season.
There’s perhaps no clearer indication of the Washington Commanders’ transformation than the Dick’s Sporting Goods location near the team’s Northern Virginia headquarters. Six display racks along the central aisle of the store overflow with Commanders merchandise, including numerous Jayden Daniels’s No. 5 jerseys, licensed hoodies, and a “Hail Jayden” T-shirt celebrating his Hail Mary touchdown pass. There are rows of footballs, piles of caps, plastic fan chains, burgundy and gold beanies, pompoms, and all the “W”-embossed tailgating items one could ever desire — a Commanders wireless boom box, anyone?
Who would’ve thought?
For years, Washington’s NFL team was a mere afterthought in this store, its gear often tucked away in the back with limited jerseys and hoodies that inevitably ended up on clearance.
But now, the Commanders are 7-2 for the first time in 28 years, thanks to their thrilling young quarterback, dynamic offense, and new owner, Josh Harris, who has invested millions since acquiring the team last year. The franchise that was a constant disappointment is working its way back to becoming must-see entertainment — and rediscovering some of the benefits that come with it.
In summary: Business is beginning to flourish again for the Commanders. Daniels leads all NFL players in merchandise sales from retail giant Fanatics this season, the Commanders have signed 29 new partnership agreements over the past year, and their home games have all sold out this season, which is not guaranteed in recent years.
“You can sense a growing enthusiasm within the organization, within the fan base, on the field, in the stadium that we’re hoping to be able to continue to capitalize on,” said Tad Brown, the CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment. “A team like this gives you that feeling of, ‘I’m going to potentially witness something I haven’t seen in a long time if I get out to the game this weekend.’”
Awakening the ‘sleeping giant’
Since July 2023, when he acquired the Commanders from Daniel Snyder for a record price for an NFL team, Harris has dismantled the old franchise and begun to reconstruct it. Hiring General Manager Adam Peters in January was the first significant step. Adding Coach Dan Quinn and revamping the roster were next.
“There’s definitely a lot of freshness,” said sixth-year wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has yet to experience a winning season in Washington. “Obviously, you can see the changes from Josh Harris and the entire ownership group just providing us everything we need as players to be successful on the field [and] off the field from a personnel perspective. … What we’re building here is something that I feel can be sustained.”
There’s no doubt about the catalyst of Washington’s renewed fan interest at Northwest Stadium.
“I don’t think — I know it’s because we’re winning,” McLaurin added.
Consistently successful NFL teams possess elite quarterbacks but also complete buy-in from top to bottom, which Washington notoriously lacked for decades under Snyder.
Harris and his partners have invested more than $75 million into the Commanders’ facilities while also developing plans for new ones in the upcoming years. Much of the funding has gone toward essential repairs — fixing leaks and enhancing stadium safety — but also improvements to the fan experience, including a new lighting system that put on a display in the second half of a recent victory over the Chicago Bears.
Legendary running back John Riggins was in attendance at a game last season, along with Sonny Jurgensen and numerous other former players. Harris and his associates — including Mitch Rales, Mark Ein, Magic Johnson, and David Blitzer — frequently host dinners with prominent leaders in D.C. to mend relationships and “be candid about our objectives, the challenges they’ve encountered in the past, and how we plan to enhance things as swiftly as possible,” Brown stated, perceiving the Commanders as a “sleeping giant.”
“It was among the top-performing franchises in the NFL and across all professional sports,” he remarked. “We recognize its potential, and we simply need to ensure we’re actively cultivating those relationships through trust, communication, and demonstrating that we want you to take pride in our team.”
So far, these efforts have yielded positive results. The Commanders report that they have sold out every home game this season, with total gate receipts increasing by nearly 20 percent compared to the previous year. They achieved a 90 percent renewal rate for season tickets, according to a team spokesperson, and anticipate an even higher return when renewal notices are distributed in the coming weeks. Fans are arriving at the stadium earlier, staying longer, and spending more, as per the team’s analysis. Notably, the home crowds have been predominantly comprised of Washington supporters.
In the past, the Commanders’ home field often felt like an away game due to the influx of opposing fans. However, Harris and his partners have reclaimed thousands of tickets from brokers and plan to liberate even more in the upcoming years. The difference is evident.
“Now when we try to energize the crowd, it actually works,” cornerback Benjamin St-Juste noted. “People are getting up and making noise.” Guard Sam Cosmi mentioned that the Commanders had to use a silent count at every home game last season because of the overwhelming noise from rival fans. This season, they haven’t needed to resort to that once — and they hope it remains that way, even with the arrival of Pittsburgh Steelers’ towel-waving fans on Sunday.
The team’s success has also transformed Cosmi’s life in other ways: he recently received a complimentary box of chicken from Raising Cane’s, a sign that beyond his new $74 million contract and the team’s winning record, the Commanders are once again relevant. “They recognized me; I signed a hat and got a free box,” Cosmi said with a smile. “That’s significant. And it was the Caniac, not just the regular box.”
Of the 29 new sponsorship agreements the franchise has secured over the past year, 21 are with new regional partners. While boosting ticket revenue remains a work in progress, Washington’s gate receipts have risen by 20 percent year over year. Moreover, their growth has extended well beyond the D.C.-metro area. The Commanders rank second in the NFL for average YouTube view duration, second in follower growth rate on X, and third in engagement rate on that platform.
“Everyone understands we have a long way to go,” Brown acknowledged. “But it generates excitement. It instills hope and belief within the fan base and community that creates a positive feedback loop. I believe the team senses that energy as well, boosting their confidence to perform at their best.”
‘Hail Jayden’ It all begins with one position that Washington has sought to fill with a star for years. Daniels, still only 23, has begun to display early signs of being a generational talent.
“From what I’ve observed, I would be completely astonished if he’s unable to revive this franchise,” Hall of Fame quarterback and “Monday Night Football” analyst Troy Aikman commented on Daniels. “If he doesn’t succeed, I think we’ll likely look back and conclude it was more of a reflection on the organization than anything he did or didn’t achieve.”
If Daniels's breakout moment was the thrilling Monday night game in Cincinnati during Week 3, where he connected on the game-winning touchdown pass to McLaurin and earned the NFL’s offensive player of the week award, then his Hail Mary touchdown pass against the Bears in Week 8 truly cemented his status as a star.
This century, twenty-eight quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Commanders. With Daniels at the helm, Washington now ranks third in total yards (392.0), rushing yards (163.9), and points (29.2), and they’ve already had one game elevated to a more prominent television slot.
That’s impressive for a unit that struggled to average even 20 points per game over the last three seasons. While Daniels leads all players in Fanatics merchandise sales this season, the Commanders sit at 11th in team merchandise sales and have already surpassed their total from last year.
The NFL Players Association’s licensing and marketing division, Players Inc., ranks all officially licensed merchandise sold by more than 85 NFLPA licensees. Each quarter, it publishes its Top 50 Players Sales List, which consistently highlights the league’s most successful and popular players at the forefront.
Daniels was recognized among the union’s “rising stars” for the first quarter of 2024. When Players Inc.’s top 50 list for the second quarter of the year (June to August) is released, Daniels will be positioned at No. 34 — a ranking likely to improve in the third quarter (September to November).
The most recent Washington player to make a top 50 list? Pass rusher Chase Young, who ranked 42nd in 2022 before being traded in 2023.
“At this point, if you’re a young Commanders supporter and you don’t own any Jayden merchandise, what are you even doing?” joked Jamie Mottram, president of sports apparel company BreakingT. “This season, Jayden is easily our number-one-selling NFL player.”
BreakingT is known for its distinctive designs that celebrate iconic moments, including the “I Survived the Snyder Era” shirt, which former coach Jay Gruden humorously commented on social media, saying, “Glad someone did!” Following Daniels’s Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown, BreakingT launched three new shirts within 24 hours — one featuring a diagram of the play, another with “Hail Noah” in gold lettering above an image of Brown, and a third with “Hail Jayden,” prominently displayed on racks at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
“Washington hasn’t been timely or relevant for positive reasons in quite some time,” Mottram noted. “So now that they are, when you walk into Dick’s, you can definitely feel that presence.”
"Behind the scenes, Harris has removed barriers between the franchise and its alumni, local officials, business leaders, and others. Minutes after NFL owners approved his acquisition of the team, Harris contacted Ring of Fame wide receiver Art Monk and cornerback Darrell Green.”