The Josh Harris group’s bid to purchase the Commanders was approved on Thursday. But the new owners will have a lot of work to do.
This story was originally published April 17 and has been updated to reflect NFL owner approval of Josh Harris‘ bid to buy the Commanders on Thursday.
Shortly after buying the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, Josh Harris explained why.
„What we’ve done is buy good companies,“ he told NJ.com in 2014, „good franchises that have a reason to exist but for whatever reason may have some financial difficulties or need some new leadership.“
Harris is doing the same thing with his purchase of the Washington Commanders, once a marquee NFL franchise but one that fell on hard times during Dan Snyder’s ownership.
The deal, with the sale price of $6.05 billion, was approved by the NFL on Thursday when the owners voted in favor of it at a special session in Minneapolis.
Harris inherits a franchise that went 164-220-2 in Snyder’s 24 seasons; only five teams had worse records during that period.
But Harris will need to revive the organization in more ways than winning. One team employee said workers have been beaten down because of the heavy dose of negative attention over the past several years, in particular, stemming first from an NFL investigation into Washington’s workplace culture, followed by a congressional investigation. Multiple state attorneys general — as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia — are looking into allegations of financial improprieties.
The new ownership group will have a number of priorities, from needing to find a site for a new stadium to winning back fans to eventually deciding on an organizational power structure: Will the Commanders move forward with team president Jason Wright, general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Ron Rivera? If handled right, Washington’s franchise could be reinvigorated.
Harris also owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, who, after six consecutive losing campaigns, have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference over the past six seasons. The Devils, after lean years, had the second-best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference in 2022-23.
At the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix in March, Wright said, „There’s nothing but upside on the other side of this, and that’s important.“
It’s too late for the Commanders to change the power structure on the football side for the 2023 season. Rivera is the coach, Mayhew is the general manager, and it’s not expected that will change, team and league sources said.
However, Rivera initially signed a five-year contract, and he is entering Year 4. It is a pivotal year regardless of the ownership change.
Considering Rivera is the main decision-maker on the football side — he hired Mayhew and assistant general manager Marty Hurney in 2021 — the new owners will decide whether they want to keep Rivera beyond 2023. They also must decide on the structural setup; Harris typically wants a GM to hire a coach.
Snyder hired Rivera and gave him the power in what the former owner termed a „coach-centric model.“ Harris could abandon that setup, whether in hiring another GM who does not answer to Rivera or in making a wholesale change. Still, it stands to reason any determination on Rivera impacts his GM’s future, as well.
They also have to decide on team president Jason Wright, though multiple sources have said since the early spring that Harris would take the season to assess the situation. The Commanders do have several executive vacancies that need to be filled, including chief financial officer and head of ticketing.
The Denver Broncos represent an example of an ownership group that made a change at coach one season after buying the team and assessing the situation. The Broncos fired coach Nathaniel Hackett after a 4-11 start to the 2022 season but retained general manager George Paton.
Washington’s new owners need to be judicious in making sure the organization is set up properly for the future. It is possible they want a fresh start, and Rivera couldn’t do much to change such a desire. In three seasons under Rivera, Washington has a 22-27-1 record with one division title. The Commanders were 8-8-1 last season and finished last in a loaded NFC East.
Keep in mind: None of the seven coaches hired by Dan Snyder finished their tenure with a winning record. Of that group, Rivera has had the most power, being allowed to select his own front office.
Only one coach, Jay Gruden, lasted more than four seasons under Snyder. And Gruden was the lone coach to receive an extension. Gruden, who had a 35-49-1 record in five-plus seasons with the team, was fired after an 0-5 start to the 2019 season. He is the only coach under Snyder who had consecutive winning campaigns.
Rivera has been through this, having experienced an ownership change when he was the coach of the Carolina Panthers. Rivera had been more successful with the Panthers than he has been with the Commanders, guiding Carolina to a 76-63-1 regular-season record, a Super Bowl appearance during the 2015 campaign and an 11-5 record two years later. David Tepper bought the team in 2019, and, after a 5-7 start, he fired Rivera during his ninth season with Carolina.
Rivera learned from the experience, saying he wishes he had explained the rationale for roster decisions better and treated his sessions with Tepper like an extended job interview. Numerous people who have worked for Harris say preparation and then communication is key when dealing with him.
„It’s all about presentation and what you’re doing going forward and understanding the reasons why you did things,“ Rivera said earlier this year. „I don’t want anyone to think I’m doing anything because I’m desperate; I’m doing things because this is the right way. If they’re not happy and want to let me go? Great. But … I’m not worried about what the decision is after a year. What I’m worried about is making sure this roster is being built, that it’s in place, and if I leave, I’ll leave it in a good position.“
Washington has played in eight playoff games since the 1993 season, last winning one in 2005. Only three teams have played in fewer playoff games and only two won fewer postseason games than Washington’s two. Its .427 winning percentage under Snyder is better than only five other teams in that span.
The once-proud franchise won three Super Bowls in a decade, reached five from the 1972 season to the 1991 campaign and went 18-10 in the postseason during that stretch.
The fan base has seen more name changes in the past five years (two) than playoff games (one) — not to mention the numerous investigations and off-field issues.
„The first thing is winning,“ Wright said. „They can be back again; these fans want us to do well.“
Winning will help, but it won’t cure all. A top goal needs to be regaining the fans‘ trust.
„Trust is the perfect word,“ said Grant Paulsen, a Washington, D.C., sports radio host. „There’s not a lot of trust in the football operation and not trust in the business operation, and some of it is not fair. … That’s a reality they deal with, and it won’t change the day Snyder is out. But they will get more benefit of the doubt. It will take time. They have to prove the witch is dead.“
The team’s local TV ratings steadily declined over the past decade. According to the Sports Business Journal, Washington ranked 24th in the league in 2021 with an average local rating of 16.64. In 2012, Robert Griffin III’s rookie year, the franchise ranked 16th at 27.5.
Team attendance has continued to slide, as well.
