The Washington Commanders are wasting no time in ushering in a new era at the franchise, with Ron Rivera unsurprisingly fired as the coach while Bob Myers, the man behind the dominant Golden State Warriors NBA team, is joining the organization.
The Commanders finished the season with a miserable 4-13 record and lost 38-10 to Dallas Cowboys on Sunday to round out the campaign. Rivera, who turned 62 on Sunday, leaves after four seasons. General manager Martin Mayhew and a majority of the front office and coaching staff are also expected to go
He said after the Cowboys loss that he had a meeting with owner Josh Harris early Monday, and it is there that he has been informed of his departure in a move that marks the beginning of a big shift behind the scenes.
The Commanders are also bringing in two-time NBA Executive of the Year Myers – the man credited with orchestrating the Warriors dominance – to run the franchise, according to Ian Rapoport on Monday morning.
And the arrival of Myers is one of several reasons for optimism in whoever comes in and replaces Rivera as coach.
Ron Rivera has been fired as coach of the Washington Commanders on Monday morning
Rivera’s last game, on his 62nd birthday on Sunday, saw Commanders lose to Dallas Cowboys
His replacement has the second Draft pick, which could see them get USC’s Caleb Williams
Harris’s record $6billion takeover of the Commanders was only completed in July and it gives him the chance to put his own stamp on the team with a new appointment.
Furthermore, the Cowboys loss means the Commanders have the second pick in the Draft later this year.
They will likely go for one of the top two quarterback prospects in USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Washington made one playoff appearance, winning an uncharacteristically weak NFC East at 7-9 in 2020, during Rivera’s four seasons in charge of Washington´s football operations. He never had a winning season.
If Rivera does not get another head job in the league, he´ll finish exactly one game under .500 at 102-103-2 in the regular season. Washington was 26-40-1 with Rivera in charge.
Rivera’s departure comes hours after the Atlanta Falcons got rid of Arthur Smith.
The Falcons ended the campaign 7-10, losing to the Saints 48-10 on Sunday in their last game.