Jayden Daniels could make Super Bowl history. Doug Williams says it’s about time

Jayden Daniels is one win away from becoming the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl.

He and the Washington Commanders just have to beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. As a testament to how transformative the rookie has been for the Washington team, Sunday’s game will be the franchise’s first NFC Championship Game since 1991.

Daniels’ and the Commanders’ success is reminiscent of Doug Williams, another quarterback who once wore the burgundy and gold helmet. Williams, now a senior adviser for the Commanders, was the first Black quarterback to play in and win a Super Bowl, after leading the franchise to victory in 1988.

Since Williams’ historic NFL tenure began, more opportunities have opened up for Black quarterbacks. This year, almost half of the starting quarterbacks in the league are Black. 

The recent successes of Black quarterbacks like Daniels show a league finally starting to catch up to reality, Williams says.

“We should have been here a long time ago,” Williams told NPR’s All Things Considered. “We’re just getting to the point that you put the best guy on the field and I think that’s what is happening at this time.”

“It’s not because they’re Black, and it’s not because of the color of their skin, it’s because they’re the guys who can play,” he said.

For decades, coaches were less willing to give Black quarterbacks a chance, according to the former quarterback. Williams has spoken about the racism and negativity he had to endure when he first joined the league.

“You know, I heard a lot of things during my five years in Tampa, about me being the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whether or not it was the color of my skin or the fact that I was smart enough to get it done,” he said on the podcast Florida’s Fourth Estate in 2023. 

Williams may have helped pave the way for quarterbacks like Jayden Daniels and Lamar Jackson, but he also thinks about those who didn’t get the chances they deserved.

“The thing that comes to my mind all the time is the guys that didn’t have an opportunity like I had that came before me,” he told NPR.

For now, though, he’s rooting for Daniels. The Commander’s undeniable talent is rooted in his work ethic, Williams said.

“Nobody beats Jayden in the building. You come here at 6:30 in the morning, he’s already been here. You leave at 6 o’clock at night, he’s still here,” he said. “What he put in it, that’s what he’s getting out of it.”

NPR’s Juana Summers, John Ketchum and Jason Fuller produced the broadcast interview.