Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen has died, the Washington Commanders announced on Friday. He was 91. Jurgensen was a four-time All-Pro quarterback and NFL champion. “Sonny Jurgensen is, and always will be, one of the defining legends of Washington football,” the team said in a statement. “He was a giant of the game, and a beloved part of our team’s identity. Our hearts and prayers are with Sonny’s family, friends and everyone who loved him,” it continued. We mourn the passing of the legendary Sonny Jurgensen Our hearts are with Sonny’s family and loved ones pic.twitter.com/PFtg3gnJwT — Washington Commanders (@Commanders) February 6, 2026 More from the New York Post: A fourth-round pick by the Eagles in 1957, he went on to win an NFL title as a backup in 1960, taking over as the team’s starter the following season. It was then the North Carolina native’s legend really began to take shape. He set a league record with 3,723 passing yards and tied Johnny Unitas’ mark of 32 touchdown passes — an Eagles record that stood until Carson Wentz threw for 33 in 2017. In 1964, he was traded to Washington for Norm Snead and Claude Crabb in a franchise-altering deal. “When I looked back on it, being shocked initially, it was an opportunity to start fresh and to start anew,” Jurgensen later said of the trade, per the Commanders. “It was a team I had followed because the Redskins were part of the South. I had come up to see them play as a high school team. My family could come up and see me play. I enjoyed that.” He went on to lead the NFL in passing yards three times — 1966, ’67, ’69 — in passing touchdowns once (1967) and earned himself a spot on the league’s 1960’s All-Decade Team. Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III, one of the greatest pure passers in NFL history and a beloved figure in Washington for more than five decades, died Friday at age 91, according to his family. https://t.co/t4UklGgz87 — The Washington Times (@WashTimes) February 6, 2026 Watch some of Jurgensen’s highlights below: “Sonny Jurgensen is him. He’s like that. One of one. Built different.” – people in the 60s and 70s, probably (via @NFLLegacy) pic.twitter.com/980Jt6MVFs — NFL (@NFL) June 2, 2023 CBS News shared further: Jurgensen’s four-plus decades of association with the franchise in Washington as a quarterback and then as a broadcaster made him a one-name celebrity in the nation’s capital. He was the one and only Sonny, contrary but loyal: the everyman red-headed football player with the out-of-shape belly who kept a connection with fans but could also pull out a cigar and hobnob with the team owner. Notorious for breaking curfew, Jurgensen was also known for ignoring coaches and joking about his less-than-ideal physique. He more than compensated with his pinpoint passing from the pocket, helping make the then-Redskins exciting and competitive again, leading the team to more victories in his first three seasons than the club had won in its previous six. “All I ask of my blockers is 4 seconds,” he once said. “I try to stay on my feet and not be forced out of the pocket. I beat people by throwing, not running.” That’s exactly what he did on Nov. 28, 1965, when he dismissed the crowd’s boos and rallied Washington from a 21-0 deficit to a 34-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys by throwing for 411 yards and three touchdowns. The game was the highlight of coach Bill McPeak’s five losing seasons with the club. “I’m glad the crowd let me stay in,” Jurgensen said sarcastically after the game. “It was decent of them, and maybe Bill McPeak appreciates it, too.” Jurgensen played through numerous injuries and even won over the notoriously tough Vince Lombardi, who coached Washington to its first winning season in more than a decade in 1969. Lombardi said of Jurgensen, “He is the best I have seen.” The Washington Commanders shared this tribute to Jurgensen: