Commanders Owner Josh Harris Aiming For 'Rapid But Thorough' Search For Head of Football Operations And Coach
After rumors of the Washington Commanders moving on from head coach Ron Rivera, owner Josh Harris has finally pulled the plug as they parted ways on Monday.
The Commanders ended the season with eight straight losses and finished the Rivera era with a 26-40-1 record in four seasons, plus a playoff appearance in his first year after they won the NFC East despite finishing under .500. Now, Harris will have a chance in his first full offseason as the Commanders to put his stamp on the organization not just with a new coach, but a head of football operations.
Josh Harris and Ron Rivera.
USA Today Sports
"This is a really important decision," Harris said. "It's going to be a rapid but thorough process. Ideally, you would have the head of the front office in place before you ultimately select a coach because obviously, that's important. We're not in full control of the timeframe because what we're ultimately trying to do is end up with the best people and the best people generally have alternatives."
Names of who Harris will interview for both jobs have already been revealed, and more could be added in the coming days. Harris will interview San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters, Kansas City Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi and Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, among others, for the head of football operations.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that the Commanders will interview Peters on Tuesday or Wednesday. Whoever is hired as head of football operations will have a decision to make on the rest of the front office, including general manager Martin Mayhew.
For head coach, the Commanders have requested interviews with Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and assistant head coach plus defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
"We're looking for the best people to build an elite franchise that's going to consistently compete and win championships," Harris said. "That's our goal. In terms of the structure, I start with talent. You want the best talent, and sometimes you let the talent influence the structure."
It's unknown how Harris will approach the complete turnover Washington will undergo, he knows how important it is to get the right people in place quickly as they head toward a potentially franchise-altering offseason with the most cap space in the NFL and the No. 2 overall pick as one of its five picks in the top 100 in the 2024 NFL Draft.
"We need the next leadership here because we've got a lot of work to do," Harris said. "We have the draft, we have the offseason, we have a lot of draft capital that we need to get prepared for."
