Bob Myers

Commanders Notes: Kingsbury, Stokes, Staff, Newton, Allen, Sainristil

May 9th, 2024 at 5:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders did not end up zagging with their No. 2 overall pick. The team received only one offer — likely from the Raiders — for the selection, and the team went with Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. In reaching a conclusion Daniels was the top player at No. 2, Adam Peters kept his circle small. Only Josh Harris, Dan Quinn and advisor/ex-Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers comprised the new Washington football ops boss’ inner circle, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, who adds OC Kliff Kingsbury was brought in along the way and at least knew which way the new team braintrust was leaning.

Kingsbury, who coached Caleb Williams last year, was believed to be high on Daniels coming in. Many in the organization — including members of Harris’ ownership group — were not informed which player the team was picking until draft day, Vacchiano adds. Much of the front office and scouting department did not learn definitively it would be Daniels until the Bears went on the clock. While Harris was believed to be more involved than expected, the franchise had dealt with considerable Dan Snyder meddling in past drafts. Given the turmoil associated with Washington ownership and front office for much of the past two decades, this buttoned-up approach marked a change of pace.

Here is the latest out of Washington:

Retooling teams often make changes after the draft, as continuity in scouting departments is preferred due to the work done on draft classes in the months prior. The Commanders will make a key change. They are not renewing the contract of senior director of player personnel Eric Stokes, InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton tweets. Stokes joined the Commanders in 2020, following Ron Rivera‘s arrival, and moved to his most recent title in 2021. The veteran exec should land elsewhere soon, with Stratton adding he his a name to watch in scouting circles. This exit comes after Peters retained Rivera-era bastions Martin Mayhew, who worked with the current Commanders FO boss in San Francisco, and Marty Hurney.
Peters said earlier this offseason the team is not planning to trade Jonathan Allen, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes some around the league are wondering if the selection of Jer’Zhan Newton will prompt the team to listen on the veteran defensive tackle. Washington, which disbanded its DE contingent at the trade deadline, still has two high-priced DTs — in Allen and Daron Payne — and has used second-round picks on the position in 2022 and ’24. Phidarian Mathis played 203 defensive snaps last season but has yet to make much of an impact; Newton now joins him and does so as a Peters-Quinn-era draftee. Allen, who said last year he was not eager to be part of a rebuild, has come up in trade rumors before and is due base salaries of $14MM and $15.5MM over the next two years.
One of the three second-rounders the Commanders chose, Mike Sainristil is expected to begin his NFL run in the slot. Washington is planning to train the Michigan product as an inside cornerback, ESPN.com’s John Keim notes. He will accompany Benjamin St-Juste, 2023 first-rounder Emmanuel Forbes and UFA addition Michael Davis at the position. The Commanders, who lost Kendall Fuller and Kamren Curl from their secondary, will attempt to climb back from a last-place defensive finish.
The team will hire a longtime league office exec to be part of its staff. Dave Gardi will come over after 10 years as NFL VP of football operations to take on the title of Commanders senior VP of football initiatives. In-game management and assisting the coaching staff in terms of compliance with NFL protocols will be among Gardi’s duties in Washington, with the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala offering that Gardi will be on headsets during games and concentrate on the coaching side during the season. That will certainly be a shift for a longtime league office staffer.

Commanders’ Next HC To Report To Adam Peters

January 19th, 2024 at 10:53am CST by Sam Robinson

Ron Rivera wielded more power than his Commanders successor will possess within the organization. The since-fired head coach spent much of his time in Washington running the show; the team’s next HC will not.

The Commanders are planning to give their newly hired president of football operations, Adam Peters, the keys. Their to-be-determined head coach will report to Peters, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. This will be a shift for the franchise, who gave Rivera personnel power during the final Dan Snyder years.

While Peters follows Martin Mayhew as a Washington GM being hired from San Francisco, John Lynch‘s longtime lieutenant will be a more empowered figure with the NFC East franchise. After Washington spent 2020 without a GM, Rivera signed off on the Mayhew addition in 2021. While Mayhew held considerable power, Rivera was ultimately in charge. The dismissed HC has since said this setup is not ideal, and new owner Josh Harris had long been expected to bring forth a shift. Following Mayhew and Ran Carthon, Peters is the third Lynch-era 49ers exec to land a GM gig.

Some teams have both their head coach and GM report to ownership separately, while others use the owner-GM-HC workflow model. After rumblings of Harris seeking an organizational restructure, the Commanders can now be slotted in the latter category. Regarding this Peters-fronted restructuring, the new front office boss will evaluate the team’s personnel setup. This evaluation, however, will not include Commanders president Jason Wright, per Front Office Sports’ AJ Perez. Wright’s work will fall outside of Peters’ purview. Snyder hired Wright to head up the team’s business side in 2020.

Peters will have authority to determine the roles of Mayhew and VP of player personnel Marty Hurney. Both of these execs have been rumored to be on the outs, but no firings are known to have transpired yet. Peters and Mayhew worked together for nearly four years in San Francisco. The Peters hire, rather than the organization going with its other finalist (Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham), would seem to point to Mayhew staying in a different capacity.

Peters, who turned down the chance to interview for the Cardinals and Titans’ GM jobs last year, always loomed as a logical candidate. But he officially became a Commanders target in December, when former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers — brought in by Harris as an advisor during this transition — asked ex-Vikings GM Rick Spielman if he would also help out, Breer adds. These two did prep work beginning around Week 16, with Harris wanting good background in the event he fired Rivera. Spielman came up with a 15-person list for the football ops job, and he and Myers whittled it down to the Peters-Cunningham contingent.

Spielman, whom the Vikings fired following the 2021 season, did not tell anyone who he was working for during this research effort, per Breer. The first round of interviews occurred at Harris’ Miami office. Co-owners Magic Johnson, Mitchell Rales and David Blitzer also spent extensive time with the candidates, with Breer adding the latter trio offered Harris input that led to the Peters decision. We will soon see how the Spielman- and Myers-led research effort turns out on the coaching front.

Commanders Fire Ron Rivera; Bob Myers, Rick Spielman Added As Advisors

January 8th, 2024 at 8:06am CST by Adam La Rose

Black Monday has seen the next head coach dismissed in the NFL. As expected, the Commanders have parted ways with Ron Rivera, marking an end to his four-year run with the team.

Owner Josh Harris has taken a unique approach to begin the process of finding Rivera’s replacement. Former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers as well as former Vikings GM Rick Spielman have been hired as advisors to assist in the search, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski.

A house cleaning on the sidelines in particular has been expected for some time now, and Harris has indeed followed through with the expected move of dismissing Rivera. The latter posted a 4-13 record this season, the worst in his career. As a result of the team’s losing skid to close out the campaign, Rivera’s overall mark in the nation’s capital stands at 26-40-1. None of his four seasons at the helm resulted in a winning campaign, although that stretch did include a playoff appearance in 2020.

General manager Martin Mayhew – himself listed as a hot seat occupant – along with executive VP of football/player personnel Marty Hurney will remain in place for at least the time being, per the team. They will assist in the search process for Rivera’s successor as well as a new head of football operations. The latter position points to an organizational restructuring compared to how the franchise operated under former owner Dan Snyder. The fate of Mayhew and Hurney will be decided after the new hires are in place, per the ESPN report.

Rivera took the Washington posting after eight-plus years with the Panthers. His time in Carolina included a Super Bowl appearance and aided his reputation as a top defensive mind. However, struggles on both sides of the ball limited the Commanders’ ability to contend during his time at the helm, and the team’s actions around the 2023 deadline pointed to major changes being forthcoming. Edge rushers (and pending free agents) Montez Sweat and Chase Young were dealt at the deadline, even though Rivera and then-defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio preferred to retain the former.

After a lopsided loss on Thanksgiving, Rivera fired Del Rio. That move came as little surprise given the lack of success on defense the team had with that pair on the sidelines despite the presence of four former first-rounders along the defensive line. Issues on that side of the ball, along with inconsistent play from first-year starting quarterback Sam Howell, led to an eight-game losing streak to close out the season. Major changes throughout the organization are due to take place as a result.

As CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports, Harris is believed to be seeking a culture-builder allowing the Commanders to emulate teams such as the Patriots, Chiefs and Ravens. An emphasis on analytics has been mentioned as a factor to watch amidst the remolding of the franchise, including the appointment of a president of football ops. To no surprise, Harris’ effort on that front will include assistance from the NBA world; in addition to the Commanders, Harris owns the Philadelphia 76ers as well as the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

Myers served as general manager of the Warriors beginning in 2012 and he held the post through this past season. In his tenure, Golden State built one of the NBA’s modern dynasties, winning four championships. Myers was named Executive of the Year twice, and he currently works as an analyst with ESPN.

Spielman had a nine-year run with the Vikings which ended in 2021. He was linked to a high-ranking post with the Jaguars in the 2022 offseason, but this temporary appointment will be his first in the NFL since the end of his Minnesota tenure. Spielman has more than 30 years of experience in the league, something which will be leaned on in the coming weeks. Minority owners Magic Johnson, Mitch Rales and David Blitzer will also participate in the search process.

The Commanders currently lead the NFL in projected cap space, and the results of Week 18’s matchups has left the team with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. With plenty of roster flexibility, the Washington opening could be an attractive one to interested candidates. Regardless of which changes are made to the front office and on the sidelines, a quarterback capable of at least competing with Howell for the starting role is also expected to be added.

“Today, we made the decision to part ways with Ron Rivera,” a statement from Harris reads in part. “I want to thank Ron and his wife Stephanie for all they did for the Commanders and DMV community, especially during the ownership transition. Ron helped navigate this organization through some challenging times. He is a good man and thoughtful leader who has positively contributed to this organization and the NFL. I wish the Rivera family nothing but the best moving forward.”