List of Washington Commanders starting quarterbacks

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football franchise based in the Washington metropolitan area. They are members of the East division in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Commanders were founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, named after the local baseball franchise.^[1] The franchise changed its name the following year to the Redskins and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1937.^[1] In 2020, the team retired the Redskins name after controversies surrounding it and briefly played as the Washington Football Team before becoming the Commanders in 2022.^[1] The team's current starting quarterback is Jayden Daniels, having started since 2024.

Jayden Daniels, drafted by Washington in 2024, is the team's current starting quarterback.

The Commanders have had 70 quarterbacks start at least one game in the history of their franchise. Recently, the team has been notable for its instability at the quarterback position.^[2][3] Since 2000, the Commanders have 27 different starting quarterbacks^[2][3] and only two have started entire consecutive seasons: Jason Campbell (2008–2009) and Kirk Cousins (2015–2017).^[2] Only two Washington quarterbacks have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Sammy Baugh (1937–1952) and Sonny Jurgensen (1964–1974).^[4]

Summary by year

Regular season

List of Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins / Washington Football Team / Washington Commanders starting quarterbacks

Season	Quarterback(s)	Notes	Ref.
1932	Hank Hughes (9)		[5]
1933	Jim Musick (11) / Steve Hokuf (1)
1934	Steve Hokuf (9) / Pug Rentner (2)
1935[a]	Pug Rentner (6) / Bill Shepherd (6)
1936	Eddie Britt (5) / Ed Smith (4)
1937[b]	Sammy Baugh (5)
1938	Bill Hartman (4) / Sammy Baugh (3) / Frank Filchock (2)
1939	Frank Filchock (9) / Sammy Baugh (1) / Jim German (1)
1940	Sammy Baugh (11)
1941	Frank Filchock (10) / Sammy Baugh (1)
1942	Sammy Baugh (8) / Roy Zimmerman (1)
1943[c]	Sammy Baugh (7) / George Cafego (3)
1944	Frank Filchock (6) / Sammy Baugh (4)
1945	Sammy Baugh (8)
1946[d]	Jim Youel (4) / Sammy Baugh (2) / Jack Jacobs (2)
1947[e]	Sammy Baugh (1) / Jim Youel (5)
1948	Sammy Baugh (3) / Tommy Mont (2)
1949	Sammy Baugh (9) / Harry Gilmer (3)		[7][8]
1950	Sammy Baugh (7) / Harry Gilmer (5)		[9][10]
1951	Sammy Baugh (9) / Harry Gilmer (3)		[11][12]
1952	Eddie LeBaron (7) / Sammy Baugh (5)		[13][14]
1953	Jack Scarbath (7) / Eddie LeBaron (5)		[15][16]
1954	Jack Scarbath (7) / Al Dorow (5)		[17][18]
1955	Eddie LeBaron (8) / Ralph Guglielmi (3) / Al Dorow (1)		[19][20][21]
1956	Al Dorow (7) / Eddie LeBaron (5)		[22][23]
1957	Eddie LeBaron (12)		[24]
1958	Eddie LeBaron (10) / Ralph Guglielmi (2)		[25][26]
1959	Eddie LeBaron (8) / Ralph Guglielmi (4)		[27][28]
1960	Ralph Guglielmi (11) / Eagle Day (1)	Guglielmi was expected to start Week 1, but he injured his right knee during the first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.[29] Day started Week 1 against the Baltimore Colts, but then he was injured in the fourth quarter and M. C. Reynolds finished the game.[30] After the Week 2 bye, Guglielmi started the remaining 11 games.	[31][32]
1961[f]	Norm Snead (14)		[33]
1962	Norm Snead (14)		[34]
1963	Norm Snead (14)		[35]
1964	Sonny Jurgensen (14)		[36]
1965	Sonny Jurgensen (13) / Dick Shiner (1)		[37][38]
1966	Sonny Jurgensen (14)		[39]
1967	Sonny Jurgensen (14)		[40]
1968	Sonny Jurgensen (12) / Jim Ninowski (2)		[41][42]
1969	Sonny Jurgensen (14)		[43]
1970	Sonny Jurgensen (14)		[44]
1971	Billy Kilmer (13) / Sonny Jurgensen (1)		[45][46]
1972	Billy Kilmer (10) / Sonny Jurgensen (4)		[47][48]
1973	Billy Kilmer (10) / Sonny Jurgensen (4)		[49][50]
1974	Billy Kilmer (10) / Sonny Jurgensen (4)		[51][52]
1975	Billy Kilmer (12) / Randy Johnson (2)		[53][54]
1976	Billy Kilmer (9) / Joe Theismann (5)		[55][56]
1977	Billy Kilmer (8) / Joe Theismann (6)		[57][58]
1978[g]	Joe Theismann (14) / Billy Kilmer (2)		[59][60]
1979	Joe Theismann (16)		[61]
1980	Joe Theismann (15) / Mike Kruczek (1)		[62][63]
1981	Joe Theismann (16)		[64]
1982	Joe Theismann (9)		[65]
1983	Joe Theismann (16)	Named NFL MVP	[66]
1984	Joe Theismann (16)		[67]
1985	Joe Theismann (11) / Jay Schroeder (5)	Thiesmann suffered a career ending injury on November 18, when he was sacked by linebacker Lawrence Taylor. As Taylor pulled Theismann down, his knee came down and drove straight into Theismann's lower right leg, fracturing both his tibia and the fibula.	[68][69][70]
1986	Jay Schroeder (16)		[71]
1987	Jay Schroeder (10) / Ed Rubbert (3) / Doug Williams (2)		[72][73][74]
1988	Doug Williams (10) / Mark Rypien (6)		[75][76]
1989	Mark Rypien (14) / Doug Williams (2)		[77][78]
1990	Mark Rypien (10) / Stan Humphries (5) / Jeff Rutledge (1)		[79][80][81]
1991	Mark Rypien (16)		[82]
1992	Mark Rypien (16)		[83]
1993	Mark Rypien (10) / Rich Gannon (4) / Cary Conklin (2)		[84][85][86]
1994	Heath Shuler (8) / John Friesz (4) / Gus Frerotte (4)		[87][88][89]
1995	Gus Frerotte (11) / Heath Shuler (5)		[90][91]
1996	Gus Frerotte (16)		[92]
1997	Gus Frerotte (13) / Jeff Hostetler (3)		[93][94]
1998	Trent Green (14) / Gus Frerotte (2)		[95][96]
1999	Brad Johnson (16)		[97]
2000	Brad Johnson (11) / Jeff George (5)		[98][99]
2001	Tony Banks (14) / Jeff George (2)		[100][101]
2002	Shane Matthews (7) / Patrick Ramsey (5) / Danny Wuerffel (4)		[102][103][104]
2003	Patrick Ramsey (11) / Tim Hasselbeck (5)		[105][106]
2004	Mark Brunell (9) / Patrick Ramsey (7)		[107][108]
2005	Mark Brunell (15) / Patrick Ramsey (1)		[109][110]
2006	Mark Brunell (9) / Jason Campbell (7)		[111][112]
2007	Jason Campbell (13) / Todd Collins (3)		[113][114]
2008	Jason Campbell (16)		[115]
2009	Jason Campbell (16)		[116]
2010	Donovan McNabb (13) / Rex Grossman (3)		[117][118]
2011	Rex Grossman (13) / John Beck (3)		[119][120]
2012	Robert Griffin III (15) / Kirk Cousins (1)	Offensive Rookie of the Year[121]	[122][123]
2013	Robert Griffin III (13) / Kirk Cousins (3)		[124][125]
2014	Robert Griffin III (7) / Kirk Cousins (5) / Colt McCoy (4)		[126][127][128]
2015	Kirk Cousins (16)	Cousins was named NFL Most Improved Player.[129]	[130]
2016	Kirk Cousins (16)	Cousins broke the franchise record for passing yards in a season with 4,917.	[131]
2017	Kirk Cousins (16)		[132]
2018	Alex Smith (10) / Josh Johnson (3) / Colt McCoy (2) / Mark Sanchez (1)	On November 19, 2018, Sanchez signed with Washington as the backup to McCoy, after starter Smith suffered a season-ending leg injury.[133] Sanchez made his first appearance with the Redskins for an injured McCoy in a 28–13 loss to the Eagles. Sanchez became the starter after McCoy fractured his fibula in the game.[134] In Week 14, Sanchez was benched at halftime in a 40–16 loss to the Giants in favor of Johnson. The next day, Washington named Johnson their starter for the Week 15 game against the Jaguars.[135]	[136][137][138][139]
2019	Case Keenum (8) / Dwayne Haskins (7) / Colt McCoy (1)		[140][141][142]
2020	Alex Smith (6) / Dwayne Haskins (6) / Kyle Allen (4)	Smith was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.[143]	[144][145][146]
2021[h]	Taylor Heinicke (15) / Ryan Fitzpatrick (1) / Garrett Gilbert (1)	Fitzpatrick, signed to be the season's starter, was injured in the first half of the opening game and sat out the rest of the year. Gilbert started one game due to Heinicke testing positive for COVID-19.	[147][148][149]
2022	Taylor Heinicke (9) / Carson Wentz (7) / Sam Howell (1)		[150][151][152]
2023	Sam Howell (17)	First Washington QB to not miss any starts in a season since Kirk Cousins in 2017	[153]
2024	Jayden Daniels (17)	Offensive Rookie of the Year. Most rushing yards in a season by a rookie quarterback.	[154]

Postseason

Postseason starters

Season	Quarterback(s)	Notes	Ref.
1936	Riley Smith (0–1)
1937	Sammy Baugh (1–0)	Baugh led the Redskins to the NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears, where he finished 17 of 33 for 335 yards and his second-half touchdown passes of 55, 78 and 33 yards gave Washington a 28–21 victory.[155] His 335 passing yards remained the most ever in a playoff game by any rookie quarterback in NFL history until Russell Wilson broke the record in 2012.
1940	Sammy Baugh (0–1)
1942	Sammy Baugh (1–0)
1943	Sammy Baugh (1–1)
1945	Sammy Baugh (0–1)
1971	Billy Kilmer (0–1)		[45]
1972	Billy Kilmer (2–1)		[47]
1973	Billy Kilmer (0–1)		[49]
1974	Billy Kilmer (0–1)		[51]
1976	Billy Kilmer (0–1)		[55]
1982	Joe Theismann (4–0)		[65]
1983	Joe Theismann (2–1)		[66]
1984	Joe Theismann (0–1)		[67]
1986	Jay Schroeder (2–1)		[71]
1987	Doug Williams (3–0)	Williams led the team to Super Bowl XXII in which they routed the Denver Broncos, becoming the first black quarterback to both play in and win a Super Bowl.[156][157]	[74]
1990	Mark Rypien (1–1)		[79]
1991	Mark Rypien (3–0)		[82]
1992	Mark Rypien (1–1)		[83]
1999	Brad Johnson (1–1)		[97]
2005	Mark Brunell (1–1)		[109]
2007	Todd Collins (0–1)		[114]
2012	Robert Griffin III (0–1)		[122]
2015	Kirk Cousins (0–1)		[130]
2020	Taylor Heinicke (0–1)		[158]
2024	Jayden Daniels (2–1)	Led Washington to their first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991.	[154]

See also

• History of the Washington Commanders
• List of starting quarterbacks in the NFL

Footnotes

1. In 1935, the NFL set the number of regular season games to 12. Prior to that, the NFL did not have a set number of games for teams to play.^[6] The Redskins only played 11 games, however, as a road game against the Philadelphia Eagles was canceled due to snow and rain.
2. In 1937, the NFL lowered the number of regular season games, which had been 12 games since 1935, to 11.^[6]
3. In 1943, the NFL lowered the number of regular season games, which had been 11 games since 1937, to 10.^[6]
4. In 1946, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 10 games since 1943, to 11 games.^[6]
5. In 1947, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 11 games since 1946, to 12 games.^[6]
6. In 1961, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 12 games since 1947, to 14 games.^[6]
7. In 1978, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 14 games since 1961, to 16 games.^[6]
8. In 2021, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 16 games since 1978, to 17 games.^[6]