New Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris wanted to wait until the end of the 2023 season to assess his head coaching situation.
He did, and on Monday the Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported, per sources. The team subsequently announced the news.
“Today, we made the decision to part ways with Ron Rivera. I want to thank Ron and his wife Stephanie for all they did for the Commanders and DMV community, especially during the ownership transition,” team owner Josh Harris said in a statement on Monday. “Ron helped navigate this organization through some challenging times. He is a good man and thoughtful leader who has positively contributed to this organization and the NFL. I wish the Rivera family nothing but the best moving forward.”
Pelissero reported on Monday that the Commanders have requested interviews with with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for the vacant head coaching position, per a source. Rams DC Raheem Morris has also been requested for a head coaching interview, per Pelissero.
Harris told reporters later on Monday that he’d prefer to hire a head of football operations before making a decision on Washington’s next head coach.
Rivera’s ousting comes after the Commanders’ eighth consecutive loss concluded a 4-13 season — the worst in the 62-year-old head coach’s four-year run. Rivera’s tenure in Washington D.C., ends with a 26-40-1 overall record, one playoff appearance, one NFC East title and zero winning seasons.
“I want every Washington fan to know how much I appreciate your unwavering support,” Rivera said in statement. “Through all the name changes, roster moves, non-football headlines and seasons that did not meet your expectations, you still stood by this team. We did win an NFC East title in 2020, but we fell short since then and for that, I am truly disappointed. You are loyal, passionate fans and I only see good things ahead for you all.
“Thank you to Josh Harris and his partnership group for the past five and a half months. I enjoyed working with you and I deeply appreciated the engagement and support you gave me and the team throughout the season. It was evident from the very moment we met that you are going to be a great steward for this team. You have already shown the fans your full commitment to rebuilding this franchise and renewing the unshakable bonds between this team and the entire Washington community. I am lucky to have known you and Washington is lucky to have you.”
In another monumental move for the franchise, the Commanders are hiring two-time NBA Executive of the Year Bob Myers, who helped build the Golden State Warriors dynasty, to help run the franchise, while also adding former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman to a front-office role, Rapoport reported on Monday.
Sunday’s defeat saw the Commanders finish 0-6 within the NFC East with the added insult of watching the archrival Dallas Cowboys celebrate a division title.
In the teams’ first matchup of the season, Dallas also throttled Washington, 45-10. The Thanksgiving loss led to the dismissal of defensive coordinator Jack del Rio. Rapoport reported on Nov. 23 — ahead of the Commanders’ game with the Cowboys — that Harris planned to evaluate Rivera after the season — barring unforeseen circumstances. As the losing streak carried on, the evaluation was clear, with Rapoport and Pelissero reporting on Sunday that Rivera was expected to be dismissed.
Though success was arduous to find in Rivera’s run, it still deserves its own chapter in the franchise’s long and tumultuous history.
We’ve parted ways with head coach Ron Rivera pic.twitter.com/wTKnbgj0GU
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 8, 2024
Rivera stood tall in a monumental transition stage for the club in which it changed its name to the Commanders and saw controversial owner Daniel Snyder investigated by the league and Congress before he eventually sold the franchise to Harris after 24 seasons of ownership.
The affable Rivera, a cancer survivor, did his best to hold his teams together through rocky times off and on the field.
On the field, Rivera’s time in Washington was marked by an ever-changing quarterback position in which eight quarterbacks (nearly nine, as Jacoby Brissett was named a starter before a hamstring injury prevented him from taking the field) earned starts during his tenure. Sam Howell has shown more promise than any before him, but turnovers and a constant beating behind the line of scrimmage have brought about some doubt. He was benched twice with Brissett coming on in relief to ignite the offense both times. With Rivera having been vocal about finally finding a franchise QB with Howell, it wasn’t the greatest optic.
Howell helped the Commanders to a 2-0 start to the season, but fortunes turned mightily and the winds of change began swirling when pass-rushing standouts Chase Young and Montez Sweat were each dealt before the trade deadline. The team went 1-8 after those trades were made and the coaching staff has been hugely altered.
This is a situation Rivera knows full well as he was fired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers before the 2019 season had ended. That was his second year under then-new owner David Tepper.
As plenty more change is likely ahead for the Commanders, what’s next for Rivera is also a looming question.
Rivera is 102-103-2 in his 13 years as a head coach and hasn’t had a winning record in his last six seasons. He might well have coached his final game on Sunday.
That, of course, remains to be seen, right along with who will be Harris’ first hand-picked head coach to lead his franchise going forward.
