In the annals of 'what could have been,' Champ Bailey has to rank at the top of the list of organizational miscues by the Washington Football Team.
With Washington (2-5) playing the Broncos (3-4) in Week 8, Bailey joined 106.7 The Fan's Brian Mitchell and JP Finlay on Friday, an organic moment to reflect on the trade that changed the trajectory of his Hall of Fame career, when he was famously swapped for running back Clinton Portis in 2004.
Told it seemed like Washington was not the right place for him, Bailey was asked if he's been surprised by Washington's lack of success, on and off the field, through the years.
"Well, no, not at all. I'm not surprised," Bailey said. "I mean that's just — come on, I mean, we see what the franchise is going through right now, trying to change the culture. That usually reflects the wins and losses. The state of your team and the culture of your team usually reflects the wins and losses."
In April 1999, Washington struck gold in the first round of the NFL Draft, landing Georgia two-way player (cornerback/wide receiver) Champ Bailey with the seventh overall pick. A little more than a month later, NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Redskins to an ownership group headed by Dan Snyder for $800 million (then a record for sports franchises in the U.S).
Bailey proved an immediate star for Washington, hauling in five interceptions — and returning one for a touchdown — with 80 combined tackles and a sack in his rookie season. Across five seasons in Washington, in which he started all 80 of 80 possible games, Bailey made 18 interceptions with 81 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and over 300 tackles. He was named a Pro Bowler four times.
Portis was no slouch either. After being selected by Denver in the second round of the 2002 draft, Portis erupted in his first two NFL seasons, rushing for over 1,500 yards in each, gaining a total of 3,099 yards from scrimmage and 31 touchdowns in the 2002 and 2003 seasons and earning his first Pro Bowl bid in his sophomore campaign.
In March 2004, Washington shocked its fanbase by swapping elite defense for elite offense and sending Bailey and a second-round pick to Denver for Portis.
"Now, let me be clear," Bailey said on 106.7 The Fan. "I never asked to leave Washington. Remember, I was traded. I didn't like become a free agent and left willingly. It was, I was traded. So, I just want to be clear, like, I never asked for a trade. That just wasn't my thing. He (Dan Snyder) wanted to trade me. And I wasn't surprised by that, because I was never — I wasn't drafted by Snyder. Like, that just wasn't, it just wasn't the case. He didn't draft me. He bought the team after I got on the team. So, it is what it is. That's the nature of the business. And in hindsight, looking back, it was the best thing that happened to me in my career. But it wasn't what I asked for."
Mitchell, a running back and return specialist for Washington for 10 seasons (1990-99), remarked to Bailey that the same organization tried to say he was traded after requesting a trade, when in fact the organization released him outright, in 1999. "They always put a certain narrative, how they want it to be," he said.
"Yeah, exactly," Bailey said. "It's funny how the writing is on the wall and it's all clear, but everybody wants to put it back on the player like we had a choice. Like no, we don't always have a choice. Now, I could have delayed the trade, but when somebody says they want to trade you, then you want to leave. So it is what it is. I'm not gonna stay anywhere I'm not wanted. That's just plain and simple."
All told, Bailey was a three-time First-Team All-Pro, a four-time Second-Teamer and a 12-time Pro Bowler. In 2019, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and was also added into the Broncos' Ring of Fame.
"Looking at your career, and your gold jacket and your bronze bust in Canton," Finlay said, "I think they made a mistake there, sir."
"Well, I'll let you guys speak on that," Bailey said, laughing. "But, you know, I gotta tell you. At that time, you gotta think, I'd already been to four straight Pro Bowls, so I couldn't have been more accomplished and going into my prime. I mean, I don't know how much of a case I could have made for an extension. I don't know. So, I did what I had to do."
Similar to Washington, Denver has gone through some organizational turmoil recently that draws some relatable conclusions between the two organizations.
"When you think about the state of the [Denver] franchise now, I mean there's a lot of turmoil at the top," Bailey said. "And you know, it often trickles down. I mean that's just how it works. And I think Washington has dealt with that for some years and we've seen the effects of that. And I think the Broncos are kind of going through that as well."
"And you know, once you start losing games," he said, "the bad things become more magnified and sometimes you don't have the, whether it's the leadership or whatever it is, there's just certain things that's just not gonna get you out of those slumps. And I see that happening now."
"Now one thing about it is, they're a good football franchise historically, so I think they'll bounce back," Bailey said of the Broncos. "But it is what it is. You go through these things and it usually reflects your lack of stability at the top or whether it's the coaching staff. There's just internal things that they're dealing with. Not to get too deep into it, but it's just, it is what it is, man. You can't have mishaps throughout a football franchise. There's just no room for error. And we all know that."