Sources: Redskins to hire Rivera; fire Allen
The Washington Redskins are expected to hire former Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera as their next head coach barring any unforeseen developments, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
The news comes on the same day that the team parted ways with team president Bruce Allen.
The Redskins hope the moves can revive a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in 14 seasons and faces plummeting attendance.
Rivera becomes the seventh head coach hired by owner Dan Snyder. Because Rivera, 58, is a minority candidate, the Redskins could fulfill the Rooney Rule immediately. Rivera had been fired by Carolina on Dec. 3 with a 5-7 record and was viewed as one of the stronger candidates for any opening.
The Redskins fired Jay Gruden after an 0-5 start in his sixth season. Some players bemoaned a lack of discipline, something interim coach Bill Callahan said he wanted to instill.
Allen has been the primary voice in Washington’s football matters since the firing of Mike Shanahan in 2013. The Redskins hired Scot McCloughan as general manager after the 2014 season, but he was fired after the 2016 season, and Allen regained control. Allen was hired by Snyder to be his top executive late in the 2009 season.
The team released a statement from Snyder on Monday morning regarding Allen’s ouster:
“As this season concludes, Bruce Allen has been relieved of his duties as president of the Washington Redskins and is no longer with the organization. Like our passionate fan base, I recognize that we have not lived up to the high standards set by great Redskins teams, coaches and players who have come before us. As we reevaluate our team leadership, culture and process of winning football games, I am excited for the opportunities that lie ahead to renew our singular focus and purpose of bringing championship football back to Washington D.C.”
Now, the team turns to Rivera. He’ll try to revive a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015 and hasn’t won a postseason game since 2005. Attendance at Washington home games has plummeted – and opposing fans often outnumber Redskins fans. Washington ranked 20th in attendance and 30th in percentage of seats used.
Rivera helped provide a quick turnaround after taking over in Carolina. The Panthers were 2-14 in the year before he took over; three seasons later they went 12-4 and played in the NFC Championship. And two years after that they were 15-1 and reached the Super Bowl. Rivera compiled a 76-63-1 record with Carolina, though the Panthers only had three winning seasons in his eight full years. They reached the playoffs four times, including in 2014 with a 7-8-1 record.
Washington has had quite a fall from grace for a franchise that played in five Super Bowls – and won three — between 1972-91.
The franchise has been beset by conflicts — one former member of the Redskins football department said the team would win again when the “non-football people stop making football decisions.” Players have often complained about the overall culture at Redskins Park outside of the locker room. Among other things, they point to a facility that, even though it’s been updated in recent years, lags behind most in the NFL.
This season, one of the main storylines involved the holdout by seven-time Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams. Allen didn’t trade him by the Oct. 29 deadline, causing Williams to report — but also to rip the franchise over a loss of trust stemming from medical issues. Williams later said he would not have said anything had the Redskins traded him; he had strong support from teammates.
It adds up to why the Redskins needed change. Sources said the Redskins knew they needed a strong leader, someone with previous head coaching experience — and success.
Rivera had a reputation in Carolina for being firm with players, but also for getting to know them beyond the field.
Rivera also was Chicago’s defensive coordinator in 2006 when the Bears reached the Super Bowl. He later served in the same role from 2008-10 with the San Diego Chargers. Carolina hired him as its head coach in 2011. With the Panthers, Rivera earned a reputation in his first two seasons for being conservative. But in 2013, he changed tactics and became known as “Riverboat Ron” for what others called gambling but he referred to as “calculated risks.”
In Washington, he’ll inherit a team with plenty of young players, including quarterback Dwayne Haskins. By season’s end, partly because of injuries, they used 12 players ages 25 or younger as consistent starters. Washington also owns the No. 2 pick in the draft.
There was controversy over the drafting of Haskins. The Redskins’ football side did not want to take him at 15, preferring someone more capable of helping them win now. They wanted to draft a quarterback beyond that point to develop. But Allen and Snyder wanted Haskins.
Haskins struggled in two relief appearances, but steadily improved during his seven starts. Coaches said he started doing more work outside the facility and that made a difference. During the period he started, Haskins ranked 32nd in total QBR and 20th in passer rating.
But in his last two starts, Haskins completed a combined 31-of-43 passes for 394 yards and four touchdowns. He missed the last two quarters of that second game because of a high ankle sprain. But his play, coupled with that of rookie receiver Terry McLaurin — who led the team with 919 yards receiving and seven touchdowns — provides a level of optimism for the franchise. And it could give Rivera a foundation to rebuild the Redskins.
Allen had a strong legacy with the franchise. His father, George, coached the Redskins from 1971-78, guiding the team to their first Super Bowl where they lost to Miami. He had turned around a franchise that had floundered throughout the 1950s and ’60s.
But his son could not duplicate that success from an executive position. Allen became a divisive figure for the fans. During his 10-year tenure, the Redskins won the NFC East twice but finished with double digit losses five times and never won more than 10 games. They made just two playoff appearances, losing in the first round each time. The Redskins were 62-97-1 under Allen. After a four-year stretch in which they were a combined 31-32-1, with two injury-filled seasons, they plummeted to new lows this season. The Redskins’ 3-13 record this season included included eight losses by 10 or more points.
Allen was named the 2002 Executive of the Year while with the Oakland Raiders. He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 as a general manager but was fired after the 2008 season.