1997 marked the beginning of some historical changes for the Washington Redskins. In April of that year, long-time owner Jack Kent Cook died, and ownership was provisionally given to his son John Kent Cook. Just before the season began, the Redskins new stadium in Landover, MD was completed and named Jack Kent Cook stadium.

There were reasons for hope on the field for the Redskins at the beginning of 1997. Most of the offensive core from the strong start in 1996 was back, and some attempts had been made to shore up the defense.

It was a see-saw season for much of the way, with the team starting out 3-1, then swinging back and forth between .500 and a winning record. The Redskins were 6-4 after 10 games and seemed to be building momentum for a playoff run, facing a stretch of division and conference games. But Washington lost at Dallas, then went on to play to a dismal tie with the Giants in a game famous for QB Gus Frerrote's head butt of a padded wall. The Skins closed the season 2-2, narrowly missing the playoffs.

During this season, Stephen Davis began to emerge as a standout RB, and Gus Frerrote's inconsistency signalled that changes might be on the horizon at QB.