Washington Commanders · Franchise era 6 of 7
RGIII's spark and the identity crisis: the Washington Commanders story
Franchise era
2012—2022
RGIII's spark and the identity crisis
Washington Commanders
The story in one sentence
Griffin's 2012 offense electrified the league before injury, while the franchise later changed its name and continued cycling through quarterbacks.
A spectacular rookie season gives way to a decade of change
Robert Griffin III, Ryan Kerrigan and Terry McLaurin gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for a new ownership era.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2012
What came before
Ownership and coaching turnover prevented a stable successor, even as several veteran teams produced brief postseason runs.
March 13, 2012
The RGIII draft trade and its eight-player tree
Washington wanted to end a decades-long quarterback search. The Rams chose volume, then repeatedly traded the incoming selections to spread the return across three drafts.
06Draft-capital avalancheMarch 13, 2012WAS⇄STLWashington's RGIII trade-upWashington sent three first-round selections and a second to St. Louis for the No. 2 pick used on Robert Griffin III.5 assets · 3 outcomes＋
The original receipt
Washington received
- • 2012 first · No. 2
St. Louis Rams received
- • 2012 first · No. 6
- • 2012 second · No. 39
- • 2013 first · No. 22
- • 2014 first · No. 2
Griffin delivered an electric Rookie of the Year season before injuries changed the trajectory. The Rams' follow-on moves ultimately produced eight players rather than four simple selections.
Open full trade tree →2013-01-06
Wild Card: Seattle Seahawks vs Washington Commanders
2016-01-10
Wild Card: Green Bay Packers vs Washington Commanders
2021-01-09
Wild Card: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Washington Commanders
After 2022
What came next
New ownership hired a modern front office, drafted Daniels and watched his poised rookie season return Washington to the NFC Championship Game.
The core