Ron Rivera arrived at the perfect time for the then-Washington Redskins. After a terrible 2019 season where Washington won just three games and owner Dan Snyder fired team president and general manager Bruce Allen, Rivera was welcomed with open arms by fans.
Rivera was not only the head coach, but Snyder said Washington would employ the “coach-centric” model, which essentially meant Rivera was the top football decisionmaker in the organization.
After a free-agency period where Washington landed multiple starters, the next step was the NFL draft, where Rivera would select Ohio State defensive end Chase Young at No. 2 overall.
Then everything changed for Rivera. In the summer before his first season, Snyder was forced to change the team name. The former Redskins would now be known as the “Football Team” on a temporary basis. It was the beginning of what would be multiple investigations into Snyder and the franchise over the toxic workplace culture.
Next, Rivera faced cancer. Despite battling cancer, Rivera coached every game for Washington through that first season, leading an overachieving team to a surprising NFC East title.
Washington won seven games that season but has failed to take a big leap since that time. Over Rivera’s three seasons, he was seven, seven and eight games. Part of the issue is instability at quarterback. Rivera has started eight different quarterbacks, with free agent Taylor Heinicke proving to be the most successful of his Washington tenure.
Now, Rivera heads into a pivotal fourth season in Washington. Snyder is selling the team, and having been a part of an ownership change before in Carolina, Rivera understands that everything is on the table.
“There will be a discussion about what happened over the last three years,” said Rivera, per Ben Standig of The Athletic. “I’ll be honest. I’ll be upfront. Tell the truth. I’ll talk about the vision — and what I think will happen. The owner has got to be able to believe in what I’m talking about. Hopefully, I can do that. And if not, I’ll be gone in a year.”
While a new owner will likely want his own general manager and coach, Rivera has a chance to make it a difficult decision. The now-Commanders head coach is excited about young quarterback Sam Howell and veteran Jacoby Brissett in 2023. If Howell emerges as Washington’s future quarterback, Rivera has a chance to stick around past 2023.
If he doesn’t, well, Rivera understands that change is part of the game.
