The Washington Commanders are coming off a successful first season under the new regime led by head coach Dan Quinn and Jayden Daniels.
After winning 12 games, plus two playoff outings and making it to the NFC Championship game, the Commanders' rebuild has been fast-tracked after a year that saw them go from NFL laughingstock to NFC power.
However, that is one season, and the culture that Quinn and his core group of players have created will keep them in good shape moving forward.
But for Quinn, he has noticed one thing when looking back on the year and this offseason that has stood out to him, and it shows that the franchise is in a good spot.
“One of the things that I did look back to see the amount of players that wanted to re-sign,” Quinn said. “I think it clearly demonstrated how much they love to play football together and so that made me happy to know that so many players, the brotherhood they created together, that made me happy. I knew we were hitting in the right spot that people wanted very badly to be back and part of it, they sensed what it can be here.
"So to see those that many players want to be back like that's a big deal.”
That is the sign of a great franchise - players want to stay.
With the Commanders no longer seen as the easybeats of the NFL, general manager Adam Peters improved the roster with the trades for Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel to give the offense some serious firepower.
Yes, there are some issues defensively, but they can be addressed via the draft as the Commanders look to improve on what was a stellar year in 2024.
But Quinn knows that what he is building here is on the right track after only 12 months because players are now seeing Washington as a destination franchise, not one they scrurry away from.
And that's why it's a "big deal" for Quinn.
