NFL Rumors: Commanders Insiders Have 'Openly Wondered' About Ron Rivera's Job Status

Ron Rivera's status as head coach of the Washington Commanders could be in jeopardy before the end of the season.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, some people within the Commanders' facilities "had openly wondered" if Rivera might be replaced during the teams' bye in Week 14 even before their ugly loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.

It hasn't exactly been a secret that Rivera is likely coaching for his job this season. Whenever a new ownership group takes over in any sport, the general thinking is they want to bring in people that they hire.

Rivera, now in his fourth season with the Commanders, was originally hired in January 2020 when Daniel Snyder still owned the team. Rivera was also the de facto general manager during his first season before Martin Mayhew was hired in January 2021.

Commanders players aren't immune to the chatter around their head coach. ESPN's John Keim reported on Tuesday that players "are aware of the situation," with one privately saying the situation is "trending poorly" amid their recent struggles.

Fowler noted there's some doubt that Commanders owner Josh Harris would want to make an in-season coaching change.

An in-season firing doesn't really impact what might happen in the offseason. If the Commanders are already thinking about making a change, they presumably have a list of candidates they will consider.

Teams can't interview assistants on other teams until three days after the regular season ends.

Since starting the season 2-0, the Commanders have lost seven of their last nine games. The low point came on Sunday when they turned the ball over six times in a 31-19 loss to a Giants team that had been held under 20 points in nine of their first 10 games and outscored 79-23 in the previous two games by the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

The Commanders play the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day and Miami Dolphins in Week 13 before their bye. If they lose both of those games, it will secure the franchise's seventh consecutive losing season.

Rivera has a 26-34-1 record with one playoff appearance in four seasons as Washington's head coach.