Owner Josh Harris of the Washington Commanders has hired two well-known executives, former general manager Bob Myers of the Golden State Warriors and general manager Rick Spielman of the Minnesota Vikings, to help his ownership group search for a new head of football operations and head coach. The search began with the dismissal of head coach Ron Rivera on Monday morning. Team officials told ESPN of this development.
Rivera hired the team’s front office and has the last say in all football matters after joining the Commanders in 2020. Despite winning the NFC East with a 7-9 record in Rivera’s debut season, the Commanders were never able to have a winning record.
Under his four seasons in charge, the team went 26-40-1, finishing this season at 4-13 and bottom in the NFC East.
Thanking Rivera in a statement, Harris described him as a “good man” and a “thoughtful leader,” but he also pointed out that “a strategic shift in leadership and approach is necessary, as the results this season were not good enough.”
“To deliver upon our ultimate goal of becoming an elite franchise and consistently competing for the Super Bowl, there is a lot to do, and first we must establish a strong organizational infrastructure led by the industry’s best and most talented individuals.
As such, we will conduct a thorough search process to ensure we find the right candidates to guide this franchise forward.
“Myers, the current ESPN NBA analyst and architect of four championships with the Warriors, and Spielman, the 30-year NFL front office executive, will collaborate with Harris, Magic Johnson, Mitch Rales, and David Blitzer as part of an advisory committee tasked with restructuring the front office and coaching staff of the Commanders. This information was provided to ESPN by team officials.
Myers will take the lead in locating and setting up interviews with applicants for the head coaching and football operations positions in an initial search, with Spielman collaborating closely with him, according to officials.
Having the No. 2 choice in a 2024 draft that is loaded with quarterbacks and expected salary cap room that is among the highest in the NFL this offseason would help the Commanders’ job opportunities appeal.
Although Harris has been close to Myers, the two-time NBA executive of the year, in recent months, their relationship has grown, and Harris persuaded the owner that Myers’ track record of championships and connections in the industry could be very helpful in establishing Washington’s new leadership structure. Harris will be actively involved in the search processes.
Officials stated that the present front office of the Commanders, which consists of general manager Martin Mayhew and executive vice president of football/player personnel Marty Hurney, will continue to work during the search.
According to team officials who spoke with ESPN, the new head coach and head of football operations will decide their long-term career with the Commanders.In a statement provided to ESPN, Harris stated,
“This is a critical offseason for us, and we won’t shy away from the work needed to get back to a place where we can deliver a winning culture top to bottom.
” I’ve known Bob for a very long time, and I’ve seen him build a really successful organisation in Golden State as well as four championship teams.
He is a creative, considerate, and well-connected individual who is aware of the requirements for building and maintaining championship infrastructure in a variety of sports. He will definitely be quite additive, in my opinion.”
