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The dominos heave started to fall. After the Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith on Sunday night, Ron Rivera becomes the latest head coach to be dismissed. Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris announced that Rivera would not be returning next season.
Harris said that “…the results this season were not good enough”, while also going onto to indicate that that his franchise plans to take a different approach to football operation going forward.
When Rivera who was hired in 2020, he was given complete control over all personal hiring as was the player development and recruiting, However, Harris made it clear that he plans to separate those duties going forward.
Harris has hired former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers and former Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman to help assist in the hiring of a new head coach and head of football operations.
Rivera managed to lead the Commanders to an NFC East division title in his first season, even though his team finished with a 7-10 record. Rivera, despite that playoff appearance failed to build off that first season, and his subsequent three years since that 2020 season he has failed to produce a winning record.
The Commanders finished 4-13 this season, and fired their defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio following an embarrassing loss in week 12 to the Dallas Cowboys. The Commanders defense did not improve much after the firing of Del Rio, as the Commanders finished the 2023 season giving up a league high 30.5 points per game.
It’s worth noting that the Commanders traded away two of their best defensive players at the October 31st trade deadline. Chase Young was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and Montez Sweat was traded to the Chicago Bears.
Rivera thanked the fans in Washington for their support over the last four seasons. “I want every Washington fan to know how much I appreciate your unwavering support. Through all the name changed, roster moves, non-football headlines and season that did not meet your expectations you still stood by this team…”
The Commander could be an attractive spot for a head coach, as they will have the second pick in next April’s draft, as well as plenty of cap space to make necessary changes to the team.
