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.
