Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Antonio Gibson, Jason Wright and winning NFC East
By Dean Jones
Commanders president getting a long leash?
Even though Josh Harris and his team of investors have a clear plan in place to take the Washington Commanders forward once their $6.05 billion transaction receives formal NFL approval later this month, anyone expecting widespread changes across the board immediately might be out of luck. Especially if the recent report from Mark Maske and Nick Jhabvala from The Washington Post holds any weight.
The reporters stated that Harris was going to give established figures within the organization an opportunity to prove their worth before making any drastic alterations to the Commanders' infrastructure. This also includes team president Jason Wright, who'll be around to oversee the transition that represents an exciting new era without Dan Snyder complicating matters.
Tim Kelly of Sports Illustrated recently discussed Wright's future, highlighting that both he and Rivera might get a longer leash than most considering their importance. What comes after that is less certain.
"[Jason] Wright will seemingly be given the entirety of the 2023 season to prove to [Josh] Harris that he should retain his job for the foreseeable future. You do wonder if [Ron] Rivera and Wright, specifically, will be given a long leash as a thanks for taking their respective positions in the midst of turmoil under [Dan] Snyder's ownership. There's, of course, nothing legally binding in a sale that would force Harris to keep any employees he wants to move on from. But it's pretty clear the league is ecstatic to part ways with Snyder, and Rivera and Wright have been key parts of the transition."
- Tim Kelly, Sports Illustrated
Wright's already acted as the go-between for Harris, who cannot speak directly to those within the Commanders per NFL rules. However, that is about to change, and it would be a surprise if meetings didn't happen frequently once the July 20 vote concludes.