Washington Redskins: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time

Doug Williams was $200,000 away from being the franchise quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the entirety of the 1980s.

$200,000 would be nothing more than the reward for a workout clause in today’s NFL, but back in the 1980s, it was a hefty haul of cash. That was the difference between what Williams wanted from the Buccaneers and what Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse wanted to offer.

Williams wanted $600,000 a year. But Culverhouse would not pay, and so Williams would go to the USFL, where he would play for the Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws. After two seasons as a starter in that league, the USFL ceased operations, and Williams was a free agent again, far too soon.

Williams fielded offers to return to the NFL. When the Redskins called him, with Joe Gibbs at the helm, he didn’t hesitate to join up. He became the Redskins’ backup quarterback.

Then in 1987, when Jay Schroeder fell to inconsistency and injury, Williams took up the mantle of starting quarterback and led the Redskins on a miraculous postseason run, out-dueling Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway in the Super Bowl.

Williams capitalized on opportunity with the Redskins, and he showed the Buccaneers how that $200,000 difference could have become $200,000 well spent for a new contract. But Williams would instead have his transcendent success in Washington. Although his prime was cut somewhat short, he changed the game of football.