NFL Rumors: Commanders Players ‘Aware’ Ron Rivera’s ‘Job Status Is on the Line’
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Washington Commanders players reportedly realize Ron Rivera will be coaching for his job down the stretch of the 2023 regular season.
According to ESPN’s John Keim, “players are aware of the situation” Rivera finds himself in, and one of them anonymously said they know Rivera’s “job status is on the line” and that things aren’t looking good.
At the same time, the player stressed the importance of focusing on the task at hand and not whether their head coach may get fired.
Rivera is taking a similar approach, as he told reporters that his concern rests entirely with preparing for Thursday’s Thanksgiving game against the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys, saying: “I understand what it takes. I understand what you have to deal with. I understand what your responsibilities are. So what I try to do is just focus in on what’s important today, and that’s really just preparing to get ready for Dallas.”
In the midst of his fourth season as head coach of the Commanders, Rivera may be nearing the end of his leash, as Washington has lost four of its past five games and is now 4-7 following a 3-3 start.
The Commanders have perhaps found their long-term answer at quarterback in Sam Howell and a quality offensive coordinator in Eric Bieniemy, but they still haven’t been able to put it all together.
Washington is coming off arguably its worst loss of the season, as it fell 31-19 to a New York Giants team led by undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito.
Overall, Rivera is just 26-34-1 during his time with the Commanders. They won the NFC East and reached the playoffs in his first season at the helm in 2020, but even then they only went 7-9.
During his first stint as an NFL head coach, Rivera went 76-63-1 in nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He was a two-time Coach of the Year and led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and Super Bowl appearance in 2015.
Even so, the Panthers fired him late in the 2019 season, and if things don’t turn around quickly, he could suffer the same fate with the Commanders this season.
