'Load Was Lifted' After Commanders Sale, Says Ron Rivera

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera appears to be happy about Dan Snyder selling the franchise, but he has other priorities at the moment.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 14, 2023

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders are checking off their biggest to-do item of the offseason after Dan Snyder reached an agreement to sell the franchise for $6.05 billion.

The sale is expected to be approved at the owners meetings next month and Philadelphia 76ers governor Josh Harris will take a majority stake in the franchise.

But with less than two weeks before the NFL Draft, head coach Ron Rivera is ready to get back to work after months of waiting for the sale.

“It really seemed like a load was lifted, because everybody was on pins and needles for the last couple of months,” Rivera said via USA Today. “You kind of wondered what was going to happen ... Then we got right back to the draft meetings. We’ll still be business as usual.”

Rivera, entering his fourth season with the Commanders as head coach, is aware that a new owner could bring changes to the franchise, including a shakeup of the coaching staff.

"I could be gone in a year. That's football," Rivera told The Washington Times earlier this month. "I understand that. But what I want to do, is when I leave, I want everybody to go and say, 'Boy the roster's in a good place.' … That's great. I want to walk away saying that's what I did. I'm good with it. I understand it."

Rivera's hopes are that the roster will be in an even better place after the draft.

After failing to finish above .500 in each of his first three seasons and Harris looming in the shadows, Rivera is aware that his new boss could replace him with his own choice for head coach ... especially if this upcoming draft class fails to make an impact.

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Published Apr 14, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.