The Washington Commanders' history dates back almost 100 years, as they are among a select few teams in NFL history that can claim such a long and rich collection of legendary players. Quarterback has been fairly fruitful for this team.
Even with the team's recent history giving them the unfortunate designation of a quarterback carousel that rotates starters in and out, Washington has historically played host to Super Bowl winners and Hall of Famers who helped define their respective eras.
The Commanders' history at this position has a very entertaining mix of legends who were among the best to ever play the game, fringe starters who excelled in the right system, and sore spots that would be better if the fanbase collectively never brought up again.
Editor's Note: When noted, certain players' totals are approximations due to the limited games started data of the time and position flexibility.
Every Commanders starting QB ever
Joe Thiesmann: 124 starts
Lawrence Taylor breaking Theismann's leg ended one of the best careers in NFC East history. Washington was the premier team of the early 1980s in the NFL, and Thiesmann winning a MVP while also leading them to a Super Bowl victory was one of the main reasons why.
By the end of his career, exclusively with Washington, Theismann topped 25,000 passing yards and 160 touchdowns. He would have had a much better Hall of Fame case if he was able to last for a few more seasons after Taylor's injury.
Sonny Jurgensen: 108 starts
Jurgensen remains one of the most underrated players in league history. Extremely accurate and adept at making plays on the move, Jurgensen led the league in passing yards five times and touchdown passes twice. Twice he topped 30 touchdown passes in the 1960s, when passing was much harder.
Jurgensen was an effective spot starter until age 40, an extreme rarity at the quarterback position in this era. His legacy needs to be discussed more often.
Sammy Baugh: 84 starts (approximately)
Many football historians still consider Baugh to be the greatest player in league history. The league's first great quarterback, Baugh led the NFL in completion percentage eight times, passing yards four times, and touchdowns twice. Baugh did all of that while being the league's best punter and defensive back.
Baugh once intercepted four passes and threw for four touchdowns in the same game. His single-season passer rating record of 109.9 stood for over 50 years, and his 51.4 yards per punt wasn't broken until over 80 years later by Ryan Stonehouse in 2022. Baugh is the best player of the 1930s.
Billy Kilmer: 74 starts
Acquired from New Orleans in 1972, Kilmer became emblematic of George Allen's "Over the Hill Gang" and their emphasis on veteran players. Kilmer threw a wobbly pass and lacked a great arm, but he made enough plays to win 50 starts in eight years and take Washington to the Super Bowl.
Mark Rypien: 72 starts
A sixth-round pick, Rypien's prime was exceptionally short at just five seasons. In that time, Rypien was a Pro Bowler twice, came in fourth in MVP voting on one of the best teams ever, and took that same Washington team to a Super Bowl victory in 1991. Rypien also has a Super Bowl MVP to his name.
Eddie LeBaron: 57 starts
Short kings, rejoice! LeBaron was listed between 5-7 and 5-9 during his career, making him the shortest quarterback in NFL history to play as long as he did. In an 11-year career between Washington and Dallas, LeBaron made four Pro Bowls, tossed for just under 14,000 yards, and threw 104 touchdowns.
Kirk Cousins: 57 starts
Cousins turned into a dynamite quarterback in his last three years in Washington, as his efficient passing and deep accuracy helped solidify him as the best quarterback DC has seen in decades. Cousins would famously bolt in free agency, piling up gaudy numbers over six years as the starting quarterback with the Vikings
Jason Campbell: 52 starts
Campbell wasn't a disaster of a pick, as the big-armed Auburn giant has the talent needed to win games with Washington and Oakland. Still, the former first-round pick never became a franchise quarterback. However, the Jim Zorn era did Campbell no favors as a developmental prospect.
Gus Frerotte: 46 starts
Frerotte was Kirk Cousins before Kirk Cousins, as the No. 197 pick in the 1994 NFL Draft managed to unseat the No. 3 pick in Heath Shuler. Frerotte provided slightly below-average quarterback play (including a Pro Bowl nod) for five seasons before beginning a very long backup career with teams like the Lions, Vikings, and Dolphins.
Norm Snead: 42 starts
Snead was a mess in Washington, going 9-30-3 as a starter and throwing a preposterous 71 interceptions in just 42 starts. The two Pro Bowls nods are baffling. Snead would later become part of a win-win trade with the Eagles. Snead would be a decent starter for seven years in Philadelphia, while Jurgensen added to his Hall of Fame career in DC.
Robert Griffin III: 35 starts
Oh, what could have been. Griffin looked like he was destined to become one of the greats after an unreal rookie season that ended in a playoff appearance, but a knee injury in the postseason sapped his effectiveness and ruined his overall status. RG3 had a decent career as a backup, but 20 of his 43 career touchdown passes came in that halcyon rookie year.
Mark Brunell: 33 starts
The best quarterback in Jaguars history, Brunell joined Washington during Joe Gibbs' second stint with the team. While his 2005 season saw Brunell get his team to the playoffs and throw 23 touchdowns, those seasons were sandwiched between two below-average seasons in 2004 and 2006.
Jay Schroeder: 31 starts
Schroeder was putting up respectable numbers under Gibbs, making a Pro Bowl and getting to the NFC Championship game in 1986. Schroder was a solid fill-in quarterback, but Gibbs soon realized the big arm of Doug Williams is what the offense needed to get over the hump.
Frank Filchock: 27 starts (approximately)
Filchock was drafted to be Baugh's replacement, and Washington would often rotate Baugh in and out by the quarter. Filchock had some success, leading the league in touchdowns twice before losing two of his prime seasons due to serving in the Navy during World War II. Still, he wasn't on Baugh's level.
Brad Johnson: 27 starts
The reason Johnson was able to latch on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their Super Bowl run was the fact Jon Gruden was impressed by his stint in Washington. Johnson made a Pro Bowl in 1999 and won a playoff game with Norv Turner. While he regressed in 2000, Johnson's play would be much better than most of the QBs Washington had under their watch in the next 10 years.