Washington’s football team has taken command over the sports discourse in the D.C. area after the team last season made its first NFC Championship appearance in decades.
It was yet another step for the Washington Commanders’ new ownership group, which took over almost two years ago and has since revamped the front office staff. That front office, in turn, selected quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
With Daniels’ rapid ascension, talk of the team returning to a new stadium at the old RFK Stadium site in D.C., and drama over a contract extension for star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, there’s plenty to talk about this offseason.
To do just that, former All Pro Washington running back Clinton Portis and Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk visited the WTOP studios Thursday.
Read or listen to the full conversation below:
WTOP's John Aaron and Michelle Basch speak with Clinton Portis and Marshall Faulk about their coaching careers and the Washington Commanders.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
John Aaron:
You guys are getting involved in coaching now. What’s that like for both of you?
Clinton Portis:
Well, for me, it’s a different path. For me, compared to Marshall, you know, being at an HBCU, learning all the intricate details that we don’t have the support for. So the on the field is natural. You know, the dealing with kids is natural, but learning all the intricate details, all the stuff that you have to maneuver through an HBCU to get kids to come and choose this school over the major universities, and given the opportunities like, you know, really starting from the bottom, now we here.
**Marshall Faulk:**It’s to be doing something that you’re so familiar with, but then you’re in an unfamiliar place. I’ve always respected what coaches put into the game, and now I’m getting to see exactly how the process goes, and the time and the effort that they put into it, the learning process. It’s still there, and, you know, to be around the game for so long, and to now see it through a different lens, it’s been refreshing for me. It’s taught me some things, it’s challenged me in some ways, and I just continue to look forward to how I can disseminate information that I have. Take the stuff, the things that I learn, and give it to these kids, regardless if they want to hear it or not, I got to give it to them because just like when we were kids, the things that our parents said, we didn’t listen at the time, but somehow, some way down the road, we remember something that they said when we were getting ready to make a decision, and it helped us. And I hope that I could do the same for these kids.
John Aaron:
Well you’re both coaching running backs, right? And Marshall, you should coach wide receivers too, based on your career, the way you could catch also, it’s just incredible.
Marshall Faulk:
I think that we could probably coach any position. It’s how do you relate to the kids, and how do you give them the information on how to become successful? And what I’ve learned, and what’s fun for me is, you know, you have a style of coaching, you have a way of coaching, but each player has to be coached as an individual, as well as you coach the group collectively. And learning how I want to be a coach, and what style of coach I want to be based on the yelling and screamers I heard, or the guys that actually teach you, and figuring out which way I want to like work with the kids.
Michelle Basch:
Well, speaking of yelling and screaming, there’s been a lot over the Commanders, have you guys been paying attention? And what do you think of the team?
Clinton Portis:
Well, for myself, I think it’s good to have that energy back in the city, back in the DMV. Jayden Daniels deserves all the credit he gets. I think him bringing the team along, kind of molding the team behind his style of play, his character, where it’s always about his teammates, you know, has been a beautiful thing for the city. Terry McLaurin, one of my favorite players of all time, I just love the way he carries himself as well. Then just what coach Quinn has brought to the Commanders and the front office is doing is great for the city, and you needed that energy. I think the DMV deserves that, especially with the opportunity to get a new stadium, to just come back and put winning ways in this area, has been great for the city.
**Marshall Faulk:**I think it’s good that the yelling and screaming is for the team and not at the team. For a long time, it was bad play. It was like, don’t change the name. It was all for not, and coach Quinn came in and really changed the culture, really put his thumbprint on it. And you watched a team start to follow his lead, and then they started to take over. And last year, I don’t even want to call it a magical run. I think it’s just the building block for what’s to come in the very competitive NFC East.
John Aaron:
Guys, what should the team do with Terry McLaurin and his contract? I mean, obviously he’s an outstanding player you want to keep around, but as you guys know, like, 30 years old is a big mark in the NFL.
Clinton Portis:
Man, it’s no “What should you do?” Do the right thing. He’s done the right thing, pay the man.
**Marshall Faulk:**Here’s the thing, he didn’t leave when it was bad. He stuck it out when you put whoever that was at quarterback, whoever it was, he stuck it out. And now you have a franchise quarterback, and it’s right. This league is fickle. If you don’t reward players like this, guys are going to look at this as a place you do not want to go as a free agent. And then when you get drafted here, it’s like, “OK, I’m going to do my rookie contract, and then I’m out.”
**Clinton Portis:**I think we’ve just lost too many guys that we drafted. When you look at losing Chase, losing a lot of the guys that we’ve lost who’ve given their all to the team. Like Marshall said, you’re coming out of, with McLaurin, everything that he’s experienced with the quarterbacks, with the change, and he’s continued to be humble. He’s continued to lead by an example, and it’s like you’re punishing the guy that you wanted to be the face of your organization. You know, just do right by him.
**Marshall Faulk:**And let me say this on Terry’s side, he has to understand the dynamic of the team as well. Like, let’s be honest, it’s not going to change. His age is his age, and he’s probably looking at the contract that CeeDee Lamb got, and he’s sizing him up, but you have to do not only what’s right for you, but if you want to be on this team, you got to do what is right for the team. There’s a little bit of a discount on his end, but there’s also a, “Hey, Terry, you deserve this for remaining to be a part of this organization as long as you have.”
Michelle Basch:
And Clinton, you mentioned the stadium deal for D.C. Have you taken a look at it? Are you in favor of them coming back to the city?
Clinton Portis:
I think it would be great, just the energy, to have this energy. When I came to D.C., it was like a crazy fan base, and then to kind of see that disappear, and now that energy is back. Going to road games, seeing like, you never hear, “the Commanders fans took over, or the Redskins fans took over.” And I love going to away games, because I like to see that. So we were down in Tampa for the playoffs, and it was like, “Wow, like, we’re back.” And as a fan, you know, as a former player, you try not to get caught up in it, but as a fan, like becoming a fan of the team all over again has been great. And then you get to mix and mingle, so it’s been a good thing. So yeah, I think the energy coming back to the city would be great instead of being in Maryland or Virginia, like, if you can get back to RFK, a historic site, a lot of memories, Super Bowls, you know, the players, the coach Gibbs era. If you can get that energy back with coach Quinn and change the narrative about the Commanders and Redskins, it would be great.
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