Commanders coach Ron Rivera needs to win if he wants to keep his job.
New Commanders owner Josh Harris didn’t put it quite that bluntly, but that was the clear message from comments he made during a forum on Wednesday night.
Harris was asked about how much time Rivera will get in Washington, and the answer made clear that Rivera has to prove himself to keep his job into 2024.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Coach Rivera,” Harris said, via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “He’s a good man. He’s done a great job getting the team to where it is relative to where it was when he got that. We’ve said, ‘We’re getting up to speed. We want to hear how you think, we want to learn how you make decisions.’ And it’s going really well. Everyone who coaches an NFL team or an NBA team, and us as owners . . . we all realize that ultimately we have to deliver wins on the field, so you don’t really need to say anything. It’s just out there. But so far, so good.”
Rivera is heading into his fourth season as head coach of the Commanders. In his first three seasons, Rivera has gone 7-9, 7-10 and 8-8-1. A winning record appears to be a must if Rivera is going to get a fifth season at the helm.