Washington Football Team honors late legend Bobby Mitchell before Thursday Night Football

The Washington Football Team is minutes away from kicking off a must-win game against the New York Giants in primetime.

It’s raining and the Football Team has elected to wear its all-white uniforms. Fitting for what could be a mudfest vs a division rival.

While fans are busy counting down the minutes until kickoff, however, we’d be remiss if we didn’t tug on their heartstrings for a brief moment, as Washington honored the late Bobby Mitchell before the game.

The Football Team answered the call on this one, as they retired Mitchell’s iconic No. 49 jersey and named the main concourse at FedEx Field after him.

In another awesome tribute to Mitchell, Washington players will also wear patches on their helmets, exactly how they wore No. 49 patches last season after Mitchell sadly passed away last April at the age of 84.

The Washington Football Team honored franchise legend Bobby Mitchell before Thursday Night Football.

We hate to get all sentimental for what figures to be a dogfight of an NFC East matchup, but this is nothing less than Mitchell deserved.

In 1961, Mitchell made history by becoming the first Black player in the history of Washington’s franchise. He was named a first team All-Pro three times in his career and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, once as a running back and three times as a wide receiver, which encapsulates the type of weapon he was on offense.

Mitchell’s legacy in the nation’s capital extended beyond the gridiron, as he spent over 30 years as an executive in Washington’s front office. He even served as the mentor and helped pave the career of current GM Martin Mayhew.

Mitchell totaled 14,078 yards from scrimmage over his 11-year playing career, adding 91 touchdowns (65 receiving and 18 rushing). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983. We miss him dearly and hope Washington does right in his honor by pulling out a win against their longtime division rivals.