The Washington Commanders are adding the grandson of an NFL legend to their coaching staff, as the franchise announced Tuesday that they had hired 21-year-old Jesse Madden to be an offensive quality control coach. Madden is the grandson of Hall of Fame coach John Madden, who passed away at 85 in 2021.
This will be Madden’s first season in the NFL, as he recently graduated from the University of Michigan. Madden was a member of Michigan’s national Championship team in 2023-24 as a defensive back. He initially arrived in Ann Arbor as a quarterback, and appeared in one game in 2021.
Madden’s grandfather was a football pioneer — in more ways than one. John became the youngest head coach in the American Football League at 32 when he was promoted by the Oakland Raiders from linebackers coach to lead man in 1969, and eventually led Oakland to a Super Bowl XI victory over Bud Grant’s Minnesota Vikings in 1977. Madden retired from coaching following the 1978 season with a remarkable 103-32-7 record. No other NFL coach with 100 victories to their name has a better career win percentage than Madden (75.9%).
Madden’s impact on the game of football didn’t stop when he left the sideline. He graduated to the booth, and called games for CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC. Madden found new ways to connect with football fans during his broadcasts, whether it was with his fun exclamations or how he broke down the game for viewers with the telestrator. Madden also had a hand in the creation of one of the most influential video games of our time with “Madden NFL,” which still carries his name today.
