“I think, as you all have heard, we’ve decided to part ways with Ron Rivera. We appreciate Ron’s efforts and everything he did for the franchise.”
Harris acknowledged that Rivera came during an ever-increasingly difficult time under the previous owner. He thanked Rivera for his leadership and how he directed people. Yet, he was also honest, not shying away from the fact that Rivera simply was unsuccessful with the product he put on the field.
“Obviously, he (Rivera) came here during a tumultuous time period, the ownership change, and he really added leadership. But clearly, we weren’t good enough this year. We didn’t get it done on the field. And so, we’ve decided to go in a new direction.”
Harris also did not shy away from being clear about how difficult the season was for him. However, he also quickly transitioned to looking toward the future. “It’s hard to win four games. From my point of view, we are coming out of this poised for a great future. A lot of draft capital, a lot of cap space, and I’m lucky enough to be supported by an amazing ownership group, and obviously, we think we’re an attractive destination for the next generation of leadership.”
Harris left no doubt regarding his plans for a change in structure. He will not be leaving too much responsibility for one person, such as Ron Rivera did, in leading the coach-centric approach upon his hiring in Jan. 2020.
“My orientation, obviously, is that being the head of football operations, being in essence in that lead role, that’s an 80-hour-a-week job. Being a head coach that’s an 80-hour-a-week job. I think there are two roles there. And so, I think it’s harder. I mean, there are certainly individuals that control everything. I think it’s increasingly hard, so my orientation is not to do that. But on the other hand, I’m going to really be somewhat flexible around talent. So that’s kind of how I’m going to think about it.”
Harris acknowledged Rivera had remained civil and professional in the difficult season.
“Ron’s a consummate professional, right? Ron’s been in the NFL for a long period of time, and I think he appreciated that. The team didn’t perform this year, so I think that it was not a surprise. I think Ron is a good person, a good man; we continue to have a good relationship.”
