Do you remember being a Washington football fan in 2000? Forget the record for a moment; Washington’s roster featured three top-10 picks from the previous two drafts. Champ Bailey, LaVar Arrington and Chris Samuels were supposed to be the foundation of Washington’s franchise for years to come.
Sadly, for different reasons, that didn’t come to fruition. Bailey spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with Washington before the newly-rehired Joe Gibbs shipped Bailey and a second-round pick to Denver for Clinton Portis. While Portis was a great player for Washington, it wasn’t a good trade. No one will ever understand why Washington threw in a premium pick when it was already landing the more impactful player.
The most overlooked part of that trade was Bailey was never re-signing with Washington. There were reasons, and no, it wasn’t Dan Snyder. He would enjoy a long and successful career with the Broncos and was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Arrington and Samuels were back-to-back top-three picks in 2000. Samuels spent 10 seasons with Washington, making six Pro Bowls before retiring after the 2009 season due to a neck injury. Samuels is in Washington’s Ring of Fame.
Arrington is the most unfortunate case. Do yourself a favor, go back and watch Arrington play linebacker for Penn State from 1997-99. He was terrific, and every Washington fan was excited about the possibility of seeing him dominate the NFL for the next 10-12 seasons.
It never happened, and Arrington was gone after the 2005 season. His time in Washington ended on a sour note, as Arrington was at one time feuding with Snyder over a contract issue. Arrington played one more NFL season for the Giants in 2006.
Arrington appeared in three Pro Bowls during his time in Washington, while Bailey appeared in four.
Earlier this week, Bailey and Arrington received some big news. Both were elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Congrats to legendary @PennStateFball LB LaVar Arrington (@LaVarArrington) on being named to the 2022 @cfbhall Class! #cfbhall #WeAre
https://t.co/uVQjMgRsAG pic.twitter.com/uYOeqd6GOV
— Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) January 10, 2022
Bailey, a standout cornerback from Georgia from 1996-98, also starred on offense for the ‘Dawgs. He finished his college career with eight interceptions but also caught 59 passes for five touchdowns. He was a consensus All-American in 1998 and won the Bronko Nagurski Award as college football’s top defensive player.
Congrats to legendary @GeorgiaFootball DB Champ Bailey (@champbailey) on being named to the 2022 @cfbhall Class!#cfbhall #GoDawgs
— Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) January 10, 2022
Arrington was a two-time first-team All-American with the Nittany Lions and won numerous awards in 1999, such as the Butkus Award, Chuck Bednarik Award and the Jack Lambert Trophy.
Bailey and Arrington were two of the most exciting college football players to watch in the 1990s, and both deserve this honor. It’s just a shame neither went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the WFT.
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