Finding Footing

By Ronald N. Guy Jr.

The line it is drawn.  The curse it is cast.  The slow one now will later be fast.  As the present now will later be past.  The order is rapidly fading.  And the first one now will later be last.

Those words, the last verse of an iconic song, were written by a famous poet from Minnesota over fifty years ago and released to the world in 1964.  While many Bob Dylan’s songs are abstract word paintings that evolve over time and leave the meaning in any moment to the listener, “Times They Are A-Changin’” clearly speaks to a world and a current reality shifting under foot.  The gist of Dylan’s musical sermon is this: The old order is done, the present is strange and new, and the future remains a great unknown. 

At the core of the song’s timelessness is its lyrical wisdom.  The ground is always moving under our feet.  Change is the only constant.  Control and stasis are but an illusion.  But there are certainly times that are more fluid than others.  In 1964, America was processing the recent death of John F. Kennedy, escalating commitments in Vietnam, the Civil Rights Act and desegregation.  The currents of change flowed briskly.  Enter Bob Dylan to capture, in song, a moment in history that stirred a spectrum of human emotions.

With that opening, what happened in D.C. sports last fall seems insignificant.  Historically, it is, but for fans of Washington football - a lot that covers the gamut from blinded-by-love forever-fans, graybeards whose interest succumbed to decades of losing and off-field atrocities, and youth who have known no success – last season is as big as anything experienced since the burgundy and gold last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in early 1992.

In roughly a four-month period, the competence of new leadership was confirmed, the seeds of cultural change were planted, sowed and sprouted, and, most importantly, a franchise quarterback, indisputably the most important asset in any sport across the globe, was found.  

“Jayden Daniels”, the concept not specifically the player, happens in other places.  Patrick Mahomes rewrites Kansas City history.  Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrough make Baltimore, Buffalo and Cincinnati perennial contenders.  Jordan Love, Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud make Packers, Chargers and Texans fans rightfully hopeful.  Such things never occur in D.C.  Heath Shuler, Gus Frerotte, Trent Green, Brad Johnson, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, Robert Griffin, Kirk Cousins and Alex Smith all delivered only false hope.  Jayden Daniels feels different.

With one epic season in the books, the present for Washington football, unlike Dylan’s long-ago suggestion of never-ending uncertainty, has painted a crystal clear future, dictated by finance.  Daniels is signed through the 2027 season (with a club option for 2028).  His cap hits for those seasons range from $8M to just over $12M; these figures are a quarter of that of other elite quarterbacks.  Translation: Washington is now all-in.  The team has four seasons to capitalize on its quarterback bargain and spend wildly across its roster.

It feels like “Times They Are A-Changin’” has been playing in a constant loop since at least the pandemic.  To grab a metaphor from nature, life over the last five years has been less deep-rooted, steadfast oak and much more like occupying a boat on rough seas or being a leaf in a brisk autumn breeze.  Superficially the world looks familiar, but much has changed on a global, national and personal level.  That the Commanders are suddenly competent, have a foundation for long-term success and just played for a spot in the Super Bowl – crazy talk just 18 months ago - is more evidence of a world flipped on its head.  It also indicates how quickly fortunes can change, even after a lengthy, hope-sapping malaise.  One supposes the take-away is to seek moments of footing, remain confident in their arrival and be poised to capitalize.  It might not be as obvious and impactful as drafting Jayden Daniels, and it could get lost in the flow of life, but opportunity will wash ashore.  And even Dylan would agree that while change is constant, progress need not be flat.