Once considered a proud franchise, the Washington Commanders haven’t been that for decades — leaving new coach Dan Quinn trying to pick up the pieces like all the king’s horses and all the king’s men. And yes, Daniel Snyder is Humpty Dumpty in this story. Former player Champ Bailey got real on how Snyder ruined the franchise.
Bailey said the Snyder problem became evident shortly after joining the team as the No. 7 overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, according to his interview on The Domonique Foxworth Show. Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999, so Bailey — who made the Hall of Fame — landed as the first-ever draft pick with Snyder as an owner.
But Bailey didn’t click with Snyder.
“I could remember vividly our first meeting, and he just said something wild like, “I’m a prick,” Bailey said. “That was like his first sentence, and I'm like what difference does that make? I'm a rookie so I don't really know what to compare it to.”
Former Commanders DB Champ Bailey ripped Snyder’s leadership
In Bailey’s first season, Washington made the playoffs after a 10-6 regular season. The Commanders (they had a different team nickname at the time) beat the Detroit Lions in the first round but suffered a tough 14-13 loss to the Buccaneers in the division round.
Bailey said it went south from there. And Snyder’s lack of leadership produced the biggest problem.
“I do know good leadership when I see it and usually bad leadership shows up a lot sooner,” Bailey said. “That's just what I saw and you got to think the next (four) years it just got worse and worse because we didn't do anything. We went to the playoffs my rookie year and didn't go my next four years. So it was evident that we didn't have the leadership that was going to breed a winning culture in DC.”
Snyder proved Bailey’s assessment right by running the franchise into the ground. The Commanders compiled a record of 164-220-2 under Snyder’s watch. He earned a place in the conversation about the NFL’s all-time worst owners. His tenure reeked of bad coaching hires like Jim Zorn, Steve Spurrier, Jay Gruden, and Ron Rivera.
How did Champ Bailey do during his Broncos career?
Meanwhile, Bailey soared to great heights. Washington head coach Joe Gibbs wanted a great running back and used Bailey as the trade bait. It turned out to be one of the biggest trades in NFL history. The Broncos got Bailey AND a second-round draft pick for Clinton Portis.
Bailey finished his career with 52 interceptions,12 Pro Bowl season, and three straight All-Pro honors from 2004-2006. Back in 2018, Bailey said the Broncos clearly got the better end of the deal, according to a previous interview with Domonique Foxworth via washingtonpost.com.
“They got a second-round pick with me,” Bailey said. “I think that was the icing on the cake. But you ask me about Hall of Fame, are you going to ask him about Hall of Fame? Clinton Portis? I have enough confidence to say, yeah, we got the better end of that (trade).”
Portis had a different view of the trade.
“I’m a huge fan of Champ’s and I think he had a great career,” Portis said. “I think the Redskins actually got the better end.”
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