Five reasons Ron Rivera should choose the Redskins

No. 1 – Bruce Allen is gone

This may have been the very reason that Ron Rivera considered the Redskins as a head coaching destination in the first place, but it’s so important, it deserves a second mention.

Bruce Allen wasn’t the only problem in D.C.; Dan Snyder has been just as unaware and impulsive at times. But in firing Allen, Snyder made the one move he could make to immediately create potential for a culture change in Washington, while also improving the optics of the destination to candidates. Rivera recognized this, and expressed interest.

With Allen gone, and with no official general manager in place, Rivera has all the power in football operations, and he has a direct line to Snyder and other front office executives, a privilege other Redskins coaches haven’t possessed.

The culture is Rivera’s to develop and maintain, and as he displayed back in 2011 with the Panthers, a culture change is the kind of challenge that Rivera cherishes. Bruce Allen was always going to be the biggest roadblock preventing such a change from happening, and now, he’s out the door.

Allen’s ouster represents a kind of freedom for Rivera that wasn’t available before, and it’s ultimately the most pivotal factor in making Rivera’s decision. The job in Washington offers freedom, authority, resources, fulfillment, and ultimately, potential. And it’s all Rivera’s to capitalize on.