Thorough and rapid. That’s how Washington Commanders managing partner Josh Harris described his search for a general manager last week.
Harris met with the media last Monday — the day after Washington’s season-ending loss to the Cowboys. By Friday, he had hired San Francisco 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters as the team’s new general manager.
Over two days last week, Harris and members of his advisory committee, Bob Myers and Rick Spielman, met with five assistant GMs from other franchises. After the initial set of interviews, Harris narrowed the list to Peters and Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham.
Peters and Cunningham would undergo another interview, with Harris and his advisors meeting with minority partners Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, and David Blitzer to finalize their decision.
In his weekly column for Sports Illustrated, Albert Breer highlighted the impact of Myers and Spielman in the process of hiring Peters.
Breer noted that Spielman began working with Harris on the weekend of Week 16. That’s the week when the Commanders played the New York Jets on Christmas Eve. However, it was Myers, a longtime friend of Harris from their time in the NBA, who first reached out to Spielman to gauge his interest in meeting with Harris.
Harris made it clear no decision had been made on head coach Ron Rivera’s future, but he wanted to have a list of candidates ready if he moved on from Rivera. So, Spielman, the longtime Minnesota Vikings general manager, accepted Harris’ offer to join his advisory committee, along with Myers, Harris, and his minority owners Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, and David Blitzer.
Spielman went to work on creating a list for a new head of football operations and a head coach.
Spielman’s work through the final two weeks of the season was done quietly. He made calls but didn’t tell folks who he was working for, gathering information discreetly. Then, the Monday after Week 18, once Harris let Rivera go, Spielman drove to Miami and got to work talking with folks such as former Arizona Cardinals GM and Fritz Pollard Alliance exec Rod Graves, former New York Giants GM Jerry Reese, former Jacksonville Jaguars exec Michael Huyghue and former Pittsburgh Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, all whom worked in the league for decades, and attended last month’s accelerator program.
He was on the phone from 7:30 a.m. to about 11 p.m., checking every box on the five guys he’d identified, all of whom carried assistant GM titles: Peters, as well as Kansas City’s Mike Borgonzi, Cleveland’s Glenn Cook, Chicago’s Ian Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Alec Halaby.
Breer’s column included more, detailing the impact of Myers and Spielman on Washington’s search.
Washington fans were concerned, even upset, throughout the season when Harris chose not to fire Rivera. He was correct all along. What would firing Rivera in Weeks 10, 12, or 15 have done for the Commanders?
Instead, behind the scenes, Harris was ahead of the curve, preparing for the most important offseason, arguably, in franchise history.