"I could be gone in a year" - Ron Rivera makes stunning admission as Commanders sale talk rumbles on
The 2023 season is going to be a big one for Ron Rivera and the Washington Commanders. Amid the sale of the team, Rivera will enter his fourth season as the team's head coach with a 22-27-1 record.
Rivera has never had a winning season but made the playoffs in his first season with the team with a 7-9 record. In 2021, he led the team to a 7-10 record, and this past season the Commanders finished 8-8-1.
The team is expected to be sold in the coming weeks as Daniel Snyder and Tanya Synder are expected to finalize the sale after the team has been up for sale for awhile.
Ron Rivera recently told The Washington Times that he knows he could be gone from the team after this season as the franchise heads in a different direction. He wants to make sure he leaves the team in good hands going forward.
Rivera said:
"I could be gone in a year, that's football. 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 added that he's not going to act out of desperation this season because that's when bad decisions happen:
"I'm not going to be desperate. I'm not. Because when you're desperate, you make bad decisions. I've got to be very specific and very clear cut with what our vision is going forward."
Ron Rivera not "desperate" entering fourth season in Washington: "I could be gone in a year, that's football"
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The team could be sold before the 2023 NFL Draft, which takes place on April 27. Some of the bidders include billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, Josh Harris, Jay-Z, Tilman Fertitta and Magic Johnson.
Who will be the Washington Commanders starting quarterback in 2023?
Heading into the 2023 season, the Washington Commanders and Ron Rivera will have a big decision to make as to who the starting quarterback for the team will be.
When asked who he thinks his QB1 will be heading into the season, Ron Rivera pointed to second-year quarterback Sam Howell:
"Well, I think he most certainly can be. I know this: We will go into OTAs, minicamp, with Sam more than likely at QB1, and we'll see what happens. It's his opportunity. This is a challenge to him. You know, if he comes out and does the things that he's capabale of, he can most certainly be our guy, but, we'll find out.
"And, again, that's what competition is gonna do. It's gonna bring out the best in all of our guys."
Ron Rivera says Sam Howell is “more than likely” @Commanders QB1.
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Howell was the team's fifth-round pick from a season ago and only appeared in one game last season as he started the season finale and defeated the Dallas Cowboys.
The Commanders currently hold the 16th overall pick in the draft this year, which isn't an ideal spot to land a top QB prospect.
Will Ron Rivera and the Commanders select a quarterback or enter the season with Howell as the starter?
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Ron Rivera, The Washington Times, Around the NFL, and H/T Sportskeeda.