Tag: Dan Snyder

Commanders ranked at the top of 2024 HC vacancies

Another vote saying Washington’s head coaching vacancy is the top available.

How would you rank the six NFL 2024 head coaching vacancies?

Well, Commanders fans are going to like how CBS Sports Will Brinson evaluated the six openings.

Brinson concluded that the Commanders are actually the best opening in the NFL right now for aspiring head coaches. After the ownership of Daniel Snyder (1999-2022 seasons) repeatedly discouraged coaches, players and fans, there is a new sheriff in town now who has a unique opportunity to improve a bottom-tier franchise and instantly become a fan favorite.

Here is how Brinson sees the Washington job as the top spot for those pursuing NFL head coaching jobs.

For nearly 25 years, Dan Snyder made the Washington job a disastrous one. He would attract big-name candidates, because coaching in Washington was a BIG DEAL. This was one of the biggest franchises in the NFL for several decades and Snyder made it almost untouchable. Enter Josh Harris, who has done a great job simply by doing the opposite of Dan Snyder. To wit: Harris didn’t fire Ron Rivera during his first season as owner and handled the entire situation with aplomb. Then he nabs Bob Myers and Rick Spielman to become part of his search committee and there’s hope again in Washington. Things can change (David Tepper seemed like a good owner early) but for now the Commanders top this list because there’s a new, seemingly patient owner in charge and a clear commitment to win while upending the poisonous culture that’s pervaded the beltway for years.

Washington has the No. 2 overall pick, which doesn’t hurt either. (Maybe they can draft Drake Maye, pair him with Sam Howell, hire Mack Brown and guarantee themselves eight wins a year just like the Tar Heels!) Trading away Chase Young and Montez Sweat mid-season isn’t great, but it boosts the draft capital for the incoming coaching staff and by avoiding handing out contracts to former first-round picks, and clears up plenty of salary-cap space.

There’s an opportunity to land a franchise quarterback here, with potentially strong ownership, a fantastic fan base dying for quality football and a new stadium potentially on deck. The Washington job is back to being wildly attractive.

Brinson then ranks the head coaching vacancies as follows: Chargers, Falcons, Raiders, Titans, Panthers.

If you would like to read the other explanations of Brinson’s rankings, here is the link.

Will the Commanders move on from team president Jason Wright?

Could Washington’s upcoming housecleaning also include team president Jason Wright?

Changes are on the horizon for the Washington Commanders. Head coach Ron Rivera will be relieved of his duties after four seasons sometime after Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.

While Washington will need a new coach — who will hire his own staff — it will also need a new general manager. Rivera has served as Washington’s chief football decision-maker since his hiring in Jan. 2020.

Martin Mayhew is Washington’s general manager, while Marty Hurney is the vice president of player personnel — Rivera hired both.

There will be many changes on the football side; some would even say there will be wholesale changes.

But what about the business side?

Washington hired Jason Wright to serve as team president in Aug. 2020. A former NFL player, Wright came to Washington with an impressive resume. He led the franchise’s rebranding efforts to its current nickname, the “Commanders,” which was unveiled in Feb. 2022.

While Wright has done some good things since arriving, there have also been many mistakes, sometimes simple mistakes. Much like Rivera, there is some sympathy for Wright, considering he entered an almost impossible situation, working for former owner Dan Snyder.

But with a new regime coming, could Wright also be on the way out?

On Friday’s edition of “PFT Live,” Mike Florio and Peter King discussed Washington’s future.

“He (Rivera) knows what’s coming, we all know what’s coming,” Florio said. Ron Rivera will be replaced. Martin Mayhew, the GM, will be replaced. Jason Wright, the president of the team, most likely will be replaced…………. I feel like the housecleaning is coming.”

There is nothing definitive here. Wright’s status has been less certain than Rivera’s since Harris took over, as he’s often seen with Harris at Washington’s games.

Harris could choose to keep Wright aboard, considering the team’s business has dramatically improved since Snyder sold the team. Is that due to Wright or just the fact that Snyder is gone? That’s likely the latter.

Regardless of Wright’s status, it should be a busy week for the Commanders.

Ron Rivera says he’s ‘managed for about 3.5 years’ and coached the last ‘5 weeks’

Rivera was asked if he still enjoyed coaching and he gave an interesting answer.

The Washington Commanders will wrap up the 2023 NFL season against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Washington has lost seven consecutive games and is a 13-point underdog at home against the division-leading Cowboys.

For much of this week, head coach Ron Rivera has spoken to the media, but there hasn’t been a lot of talk about Sunday’s game. Instead, Rivera has been asked about his future. Does he still want to coach? What is most proud of after four seasons in Washington?

This Sunday is expected to be Rivera’s last game as Washington’s head coach. New owner Josh Harris will likely fire Rivera and his staff while also making sweeping front-office changes. Rivera has also been the top football decision-maker over the past four seasons.

Rivera spoke to the local media on Friday for what will likely be the next-to-last time. He will do the postgame press conference after Sunday’s game. During Friday’s media session, much of the talk continued to focus on his time in Washington — and not Sunday’s game.

One of Rivera’s most interesting answers came when he was asked if he still enjoyed coaching.

“You know, it’s interesting, and I don’t know if people will agree with me or believe in what I’m saying, but to hell with that,” Rivera said. “I managed for about three and a half years while I was here. I managed probably the last five weeks I’ve coached; getting back and doing the defensive coordinator stuff was a thrill.”

That’s a true answer, but there are problems here. Rivera is correct when he said he has done a lot of managing over his time in Washington. What he’s had to deal with is no secret, primarily due to former owner Dan Snyder. Let’s not forget Rivera battled cancer in 2020 and never missed a game.

But isn’t that what he signed up for? Didn’t he demand full power? Sure, he may have never seen all of the off-field stuff coming. Who could have? However, his fingerprints are on everything. There’s no more blaming Snyder. How about all of those failed draft picks? How about all of those bad free-agent signings?

“There’s some really fond memories I’ll have of it,” Rivera said of the coaching aspect. “See, now I’m reflecting. There really are. And we’ll see what happens. I mean, nobody knows what’s going to happen. All I know is we play on Sunday. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to go out there and play, see what happens. Somebody asked me earlier today, “How do you get motivated for this game?” I said, “Hell, it’s Dallas. How do you not get motivated?” So that’s kind of the cool deal for me. But, like I said, the last five weeks have been fun. They really have. Doing the things that we’ve done and, playing certain things, and working with guys, that’s what coaching is about to me. And then watching some of the growth.”

Rivera then mentioned seeing the development of young players, such as defensive back Quan Martin and guard Sam Cosmi.

Later, Rivera was asked if he would have preferred it if there had been more separation between the management and coaching sides.

“Well, if I knew all that, [laughs] in hindsight, yeah, absolutely,” he said. “I didn’t want that pressure. I mean, it’s one thing to think, okay, yeah, great, but then once you actually go through it, it was a lot.”

Again, this is what Rivera signed up for.

Regarding his coaching comment, Washington has lost all five of those games.

No one is piling on Rivera. There are things he’s done that have helped the organization. While the on-field product may be no better than when he inherited the roster in 2020, the organization is in a much better place. Obviously, Snyder’s departure is the primary reason, but Rivera’s leadership was critical. He did do a good job of shielding players from the continued controversies.

His comments on Friday will have many rolling their eyes, and for good reason. It’s hard to sympathize with Rivera due to the on-field results. It sounds like excuses to those on the outside.

Fans are ready for a change. Players are ready for change. Heck, Rivera is ready for a change.

On Monday, for the first time in over 20 years, the Washington organization will undergo massive — and much-needed — change.

Kyle Shanahan says the ‘personal stuff is gone’ regarding facing Washington

Kyle Shanahan has no issues with Washington with Dan Snyder gone.

Trent Williams and Chase Young weren’t the only former members of the Washington organization to return on Sunday. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan also returned, although, unlike Williams and Young, he’d been back at FedEx Field.

Shanahan spent four seasons as Washington’s offensive coordinator from 2010-13 under his father Mike. As we’ve heard so many times over the years, the Shanahans were dismissed after the 2013 season after Mike Shanahan’s feud with former owner Daniel Snyder and then-quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Over the years, the younger Shanahan has made it known what he thought of (former team president) Bruce Allen, Snyder and the Washington organization. However, Shanahan’s stance softened a bit in 2020 after Washington fired Allen and hired head coach Ron Rivera. Shanahan spoke of his respect for Rivera.

The 49ers returned to FedEx Field on Sunday, defeating the Commanders 27-10. It was notable because it was the first time Shanahan faced Washington since Snyder sold the team.

While Williams spoke of his time in Washington, Shanahan admitted he doesn’t feel any negative feelings toward the Commanders any longer.

“No, not at all,” Shanahan said when asked if his negative feelings still existed since Snyder sold the team, per Kirk Larrabee of 49erswebzone.com. “I used to have those, but it’s totally different place here now, and different people, and nothing’s personal here anymore. The personal stuff is gone.”

That’s good news. With new owner Josh Harris now in charge, many of the bad feelings opposing teams and former players had toward the organization are gone.

The 4-12 Commanders wrap up the regular season next week against Dallas and are expected to move on from Rivera afterward.

Commanders coach Ron Rivera reportedly ‘at peace’ with his future

Major changes are expected for Washington after the season.

Ron Rivera came to Washington ahead of the 2020 season with much acclaim. After firing Jay Gruden and, most importantly, team president Bruce Allen, Rivera was brought aboard by former owner Dan Snyder to build a winning culture in Washington.

Four years later, a lot has changed. Snyder is gone, paving the way for a new ownership group led by Josh Harris. And while Rivera has done some good things in the face of adversity that no other NFL coach has faced, one thing remains the same: Washington is still losing.

Rivera has a record of 26-36-1 in four years and no winning seasons. Rivera’s best record was an 8-8-1 mark in 2022. With new ownership in town, changes are expected in Washington. Rivera began some of those changes last month when he dismissed defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer.

However, Rivera, who is also the head of football operations, is expected to be fired after the season. In a new report from Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Rivera is reportedly “at peace” with his future.

The expectation here is Rivera will be out after four seasons, and front-office changes could be on the way, too. I’m told Rivera is at peace with his Washington tenure, and that people in the building are openly bracing for major changes.

Fowler noted that Rivera and Harris have enjoyed a good working relationship, but that will not be enough. The Commanders have been embarrassing on the field in 2023, specifically on defense, which was expected to be one of the team’s strengths.

While Rivera is essentially Washington’s GM, Martin Mayhew has the title. But it was Rivera who hired Mayhew. The expectation is the Commanders will have a GM and head coach.

Rivera has spoken about his future several times this season. He certainly understands that new ownership often means major changes will follow. It’s the second time that Rivera has dealt with an ownership change as a head coach.

Unfortunately for Rivera, he didn’t make things difficult for Harris, and the Commanders regressed badly in 2023 despite young quarterback Sam Howell showing promise.

Commanders are ‘the best job’ with no Dan Snyder anymore

If the Commanders move on from the current regime as expected, the GM/coach openings will be coveted.

When new owner Josh Harris took over in July, he made it clear there would be no significant changes at that time. For Harris and his fellow owners, their focus was on the 2023 season, fan engagement and making improvements to FedEx Field.

With four games remaining in the 2023 season and the Commanders sitting at 4-9, changes are coming. Harris is expected to part with head coach Ron Rivera after the season. Rivera also serves as Washington’s top football executive, with general manager Martin Mayhew reporting to him. Therefore, the Commanders will likely be making two separate hires.

Washington will have around $90 million in salary-cap room, with the ability to create more, a top-five NFL draft pick and five picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL draft.

But most importantly, Washington has new ownership. Dan Snyder is gone. Harris and his ownership group have plenty of experience owning professional sports teams and are widely respected. When you factor in Washington’s resources and the presence of the Harris Ownership Group, the Commanders will be a destination job for rising general managers and head coaches.

One NFL source told Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post that the Washington job would be the “best job.”

“From an outside perspective, Washington is the best job now that Dan Snyder doesn’t own it,” a prominent NFL agent told Jhabvala.

Did you ever think you’d hear those words?

This season has been difficult for Washington fans. While most likely knew the Commanders wouldn’t make the playoffs, no one expected them to be this bad. However, Harris has preached patience, and soon, Jan. 8 to be exact, you’ll likely see ownership begin to reshape the franchise in their vision.

And for once, Washington fans can have real hope.

Josh Harris didn’t buy the Commanders to go 8-8, or 8-8-1

Harris wants to build a sustained winner.

New Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris spoke Thursday at the Sports Business Journal’s Dealmakers conference in Washington, D.C., and discussed several topics concerning his franchise.

Harris talked about the disappointing results of this season, the future, a potential new stadium, improvements to FedEx Field and even briefly discussed the name, all courtesy of Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

While Harris spoke on several interesting topics concerning the franchise, one quote really stood out.

Why does that quote stand out?

Washington finished 8-8-1 last season. The Commanders finished 7-9 and 7-10 in the two seasons before that. For years, Washington fans have wanted the franchise to either be really bad — to pick high enough to land difference-making players — or, preferably, be really good.

Some may think Harris is taking a shot at current head coach Ron Rivera. He’s not. That’s not his style. That’s something former owner Dan Snyder would’ve done, only he wouldn’t have spoken to the media, choosing instead to leak it.

Harris was speaking in general terms. Specifically, he was speaking to the fans. For one, he is a fan, so he understands the struggles of Washington’s fans throughout the years. His message is simple: We are going to do everything possible to build a winner.

Rivera didn’t come to Washington for mediocrity. That was the Snyder way. Keep the team competitive enough to keep people interested. But he wasn’t capable of building a winner. And he certainly wasn’t going to invest in building a winner.

Harris is. He’s proven it in business, in the NBA and in the NHL.

NFL insider on Commanders’ potential GM opening: ‘Everyone’s shooting for Washington’

Washington’s potential general manager opening is expected to be a coveted position.

The Washington Commanders do not have a vacancy at general manager. Washington also doesn’t have a vacancy at head coach. However, the status of those positions is expected to change once the Commanders complete the 2023 regular season.

As of now, head coach Ron Rivera oversees all football operations as a part of the coach-centric model former owner Dan Snyder employed when he hired Rivera in 2020. Rivera is Washington’s top football decision-maker, with everyone in the front office reporting to him. Martin Mayhew, the Commanders general manager, was hired by Rivera in 2021.

At 4-8, there will be changes for the Commanders. Of course, with a new owner in Josh Harris, there were always going to be changes in 2024.

According to one NFL insider, the Commanders’ potential GM opening will be coveted.

Here’s this from Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.

“Everyone’s shooting for Washington,” one personnel executive told Jones.

Washington has a healthy salary cap situation, good draft picks and an ownership group that — admittedly not even a half-year into its rule — appears competent. There’s an allure to a job in Washington that hasn’t been there for a quarter-century.

Considering Harris’ background, a league source tells CBS Sports that any candidate with an open-mindedness to data and analytics will likely be a plus.

Washington being a destination job is certainly something. Fans will also welcome having a traditional GM/coach setup. For years, Snyder or his handpicked team president, Bruce Allen, acted as the final football decision-maker before Rivera was brought on board. It was a position neither was qualified for the franchise suffered greatly.

While the next five weeks could be painful for Commanders’ fans, the offseason could be busy and fun.

How does Ron Rivera define a good team culture?

Fans are tired of hearing the word “culture.” Ron Rivera explained what he believed to be a good culture.

Washington fans are probably tired of hearing the word “culture.” It all started back in 2019 when former team president Bruce Allen was asked about Washington’s culture.

His answer would become a meme, one of many things fans and the media would relentlessly — and deservedly mock him for.

Here’s Allen’s answer from 2019.

When Allen was fired at the end of 2019, then-owner Daniel Snyder brought up the word culture when hiring Ron Rivera to oversee all football operations as well as coach the team.

Four years later — with Snyder long gone — Rivera still talks about the culture. Fans, of course, are more concerned with wins, something the Commanders haven’t done enough of in Rivera’s four seasons.

After Sunday’s loss to the Giants, Rivera was asked about coaches being judged by wins and losses. He clearly was uncomfortable with the question but remained professional with his answer.

On Monday, in his day-after press conference with the local media, Scott Abraham of ABC 7 in Washington, D.C., asked Rivera what defines a good culture since there appears to be a disconnect between what Rivera believes and what fans see.

Here’s Rivera’s response:

“OK, again, this is how I look at it,” Rivera began. “Guys learn to do things the right way, and then they go out and do it. Now, that’s what we’re trying to work on, that’s what we’re trying to get across, that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to go ahead and get it to the point where we can be consistent with everything we do. Are there some things that are missing right now? Yes. But we’re working to get those things corrected; we’re working to get those things right. At the end of the day, it’s about what happens each day and then forward.”

There’s nothing wrong with that answer. The problem is Washington continues to lose. A good culture is a winning culture. At least, that’s how it’s defined in professional sports.

Rivera is a good man with the best of intentions. He came to Washington with the right ideas. He was the exact leader the franchise needed during some dark days. He improved many areas of the franchise. But the most important thing — winning — he’s fallen short.

Commanders renew relationship with Bud Light

Bud Light becomes the exclusive beer partner of the Commanders.

One day after the Washington Commanders announced a partnership with Verizon, the NFL franchise renewed its previous relationship with Bud Light, making them the exclusive beer provider of the Commanders.

Washington president Jason Wright released the following statement:

We are thrilled to partner with Anheuser-Busch again to create a new and improved experience for Commanders fans. Bringing Anheuser-Busch back to FedExField as a partner not only reflects their confidence in our organization, but also their commitment to our fans, who are the most loyal in NFL. More importantly, we are pleased to have a partner who shares our commitment to giving back and to supporting our military, as we continue to expand engagement programs locally for first responders and families of fallen soldiers.

Matt Davis, VP of Partnerships at Anheuser-Busch, also released a statement regarding the partnership.

We are excited to have the Commanders back on our NFL roster. This partnership continues to further our commitment to football and its local fanbases across the country. As the Official Beer Sponsor of the NFL, we want to show up in moments that matter for football fans all year long. Our history with the Washington franchise runs deep, and these fans are some of the most loyal and passionate fans in the nation. We’re excited to bring more easy enjoyment to fans throughout the year.

Bud Light previously ended its relationship with Washington in March 2022 after the NFL had hired former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White to investigate harassment allegations against former owner Daniel Snyder.

The Commanders were sold from Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris last month.