Despite two decades of aggressive mediocrity, the Washington professional football team operated with its unique blend of arrogance and idiocy that resulted in a dysfunctional organizational structure.
For years, the Redskins/Washington Football Team/Commanders eschewed the tried-and-true formula of hiring a general manager and letting that manager find a head coach. This formula has worked throughout the NFL for decades, but Dan Snyder and his cronies have repeatedly decided, “Screw it! We are smarter than them. We’ll show them!”
In fact, Snyder and the sycophants were none the wiser and the various plans and schemes hatched deep into the Ashburn night never worked.
The good news? Those days are over.
When Josh Harris and the new ownership group took over in Washington last July, time constraints limited any meaningful changes to football operations. Harris bought the team a week before training camp, he just couldn't do much.
Now Harris is on the move.
Left: Adam Peters on the field before the San Francisco 49ers game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 5, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) Right: Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris speaks at a press conference at Commanders Park on January 8, 2024 in Ashburn, VA. (Photo by Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“Adam Peters is a great newcomer”
After the Commanders lost the season finale 38-10 at home to Dallas on Jan. 8, ending a terrible 4-13 season, Harris quickly fired Ron Rivera the next morning. Later that day, the managing partner spoke to reporters but more directly to fans, saying he would conduct a “thorough but rapid” search for a new football boss.
Less than five days later, Harris won over the country's top candidate, 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters, sources familiar with the situation told NBC4 Sports. The deal will likely become official later this month as San Francisco is still in the playoffs.
Peters was part of several Super Bowl-winning organizations in New England and Denver, working his way up from the Patriots' area scout to Denver's director of college scouting before being picked up by Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch to lead the rebuilding 49ers. In San Francisco, Peters was named assistant GM as the Niners built a roster full of talent through the draft, free agency and trades.
An agent sent NBC4 an unsolicited text message about Washington's hire: “Adam Peters is a great hire. A great appraiser.”
Imagine the excitement for Commanders fans after two decades of watching Vinny Cerrato and Bruce Allen make key football decisions while Snyder frequently and unfortunately pushed his plans to put the top personnel man on the market?
Sure, Jay Gruden won some games and Rivera gave the team some stability, but the personnel decisions were poor at best. Rocket Ship RG3 was good for a season, and beyond that it was a disaster for a myriad of reasons.
This just feels different.
From an NFL pariah to an NFL destination
The job in Washington is desirable. There's about $75 million in cap space, the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and five picks in the top 100, along with, most importantly, competent, professional ownership.
Peters wouldn't take this job if Dan Snyder offered it to him. Peters probably wouldn't have even accepted the interview. He's turned down others before, and both the Chargers and Raiders pursued him this offseason.
In about seven months, the Harris group transformed Washington from an NFL pariah to an NFL destination. That is remarkable.
Words are simple. As DMX famously explained in “Ruff Ryder's Anthem,” talk is cheap. Harris is not about words. He's not interested in marketing and selling T-shirts. Harris is all about winning. Harris is all about action. Many t-shirts are sold thanks to the profits.
Washington hasn't tried the actual GM and head coach structure in a long time. The last time that really existed was probably right when Snyder bought the team and ousted respected veteran personnel manager Charley Casserly. That was 1999.
It's important to emphasize that hiring Peters is not a guarantee. Cap space could be wasted on subpar signings and draft picks could fall through. There will still be losses, fumbles and penalty flags. It's still professional football and it's still very difficult.
But at this point, Washington is doing it right. Lay the right foundation before undertaking an organizational reboot. At this point, it's all fans could ask for.
Harris immediately set off
There are a few things worth highlighting about the Harris operation so far.
This group moved in impressive silence. Harris put together a search team with two very high-profile executives — former Vikings GM Rick Spielman and former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers — and kept it secret. Harris used existing relationships to sign both men and did so behind the scenes, likely long before Rivera was officially fired.
Harris hit the ground running in the offseason and that work paid off with the signing of Peters.
It's also probably no coincidence that Myers previously had a relationship with Peters, just as it's probably no coincidence that Spielman's brother works for the Detroit Lions. The same Lions who eliminated the LA Rams in the first round of the playoffs and employ Ben Johnson, widely believed to be the Commanders' top head coaching candidate. So it's a pretty safe assumption that Spielman had a previous relationship with Johnson.
No accidents. Move in silence. This reads more like the resume of Iceman from Top Gun than the previous people who ran the show in Ashburn.
Welcome to the new age of competence and professionalism for Commanders fans. Recalibration of expectations may be necessary. And damn, that feels good.