ASHBURN, Va. (WTKR) — Three team names, one division title and zero winning seasons is a quick summation of Ron Rivera's time in Washington.
Now, for the eighth time since 2000, the Commanders are searching for a new head coach.
The organization confirmed to News 3 that Ron Rivera was fired Monday morning, about 12 hours after Washington's 38-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The burgundy and gold finished the season 4-13 and on an eight-game losing streak.
Rivera released a statement Monday morning.
"I want to let every Washington fan to know how much I appreciate your unwavering support," his statement read in part. "Through all the name changes, roster moves, non-football headlines and seasons that did not meet your expectations, you still stood by this team. We did win an NFC East title in 2020, but we fell short since then and for that, I am truly disappointed."
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Rivera was hired on Dec. 21, 2019, replacing Jay Gruden, who was dismissed five weeks into the 2019 season (Bill Callahan served as interim head coach following Gruden's departure).
His first campaign in Washington saw the franchise win the NFC East, despite a 7-9 record. Washington would then fall to Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs at FedEx Field.
That would mark the lone postseason showing of Rivera's tenure at the head of the team. The next two seasons saw records of 7-10 and 8-8-1 before this season's tailspin.
After starting the 2023 campaign 2-0, the Commanders couldn't find consistency and struggled to find the win column. The head coach was asked where things started to spiral following Sunday's loss.
"Probably the first Philadelphia game," he said. "After that, there was a little bit of a stretch where there were some things that, looking at it analytically, that pointed in the wrong direction. Then once we got past New England, we just never really bounced back."
Rivera wraps up his stay in Washington with a 26-40-1 record, but did express optimism that positive things were on the horizon under the new ownership group led by Josh Harris.
"If there is one thing I really do think, this ownership group is just as passionate as this fan base," he said on Sunday.
Rivera's NFL career coaching record sits at 102-103-2 in stints with Washington and the Carolina Panthers. He took the Panthers to Super Bowl 50 in 2015, losing 24-10 to the Denver Broncos.
