While there’s a shift in ownership in the nation’s capital, the Washington Commanders still have continuity at the head coaching position ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Update 08/01/2024: The Washington Commanders have fired Ron Rivera as their head coach following the 2023 NFL season.
How Long Has Ron Rivera Been With the Commanders?
Ron Rivera is back for his fourth season in D.C. That includes the two seasons they were without a team nickname.
Rivera now joins this rare list for the franchise: He’s the third consecutive head coach who has lasted beyond three seasons for Washington. This time, he’s witnessing the change at the top from former owner Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Who Did Rivera Take Over For? How Much Has Changed?
Rivera was hired following his firing from the Carolina Panthers in the 2019 season.
He ended up taking over for Jay Gruden, who had been with Washington since 2014 but was fired during the 2019 season — ultimately replaced by interim head coach Bill Callahan early on in the season.
Immediately, Rivera took Washington to the postseason in his first year. That was when the franchise finished with a 7-9 record, yet still won a down NFC East. Rivera and Washington were ultimately eliminated by eventual Super Bowl champion the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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In his second season, Rivera matched the same number of wins from his first year in D.C., but the team finished 7-10 and settled for third. Last season, Washington was in the playoff hunt but ended up finishing 8-8-1 — still settling for last in a more competitive division that saw three playoff teams, including the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
In his fourth year, Rivera will aim to get the Burgundy and Gold out of the 7-8 win ceiling it’s settled on, plus end the Commanders’ current streak of seven straight seasons of winning no more than eight games.
What Is Rivera’s Record?
With Washington, Rivera is 22-27-1 across three seasons. However, regarding his overall record, Rivera is above .500 — six games above, to be exact. He’s 101-95-2 in a total of 12 years as the head man.
In his near-decade run in Charlotte, Rivera went 79-67-1 with the Panthers. He produced four playoff teams for the Panthers, including a Super Bowl run in 2015.
With two victories this season, Rivera will have his 100th career regular-season win.
Has Rivera Ever Won a Super Bowl?
Once as a player. And he was a part of one of the league’s most dominating teams ever.
Rivera played linebacker for the famed 1985 Chicago Bears — one of the greatest defenses the league ever saw — and was a key member of the team that went 18-1.
As a coach, Rivera has been to the big game once, but that ended with a 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Rivera, since then, hasn’t won a playoff game. Not only is he trying to get the team back to the postseason, but he’ll look to end one of the NFL’s longest dry spells in football history.
Washington hasn’t won a playoff game since winning Super Bowl XXVI in 1991.