Sources – Redskins set to hire Ron Rivera as coach; fire president Bruce Allen – ESPN, Espn.com

TheWashington Redskinsare expected to hire formerCarolina Pantherscoach Ron Rivera as their next head coach, barring unforeseen developments, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

The news comes on the same day that Washington parted ways with team president Bruce Allen.

The Redskins hope the moves can revive a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in (seasons and faces plummeting attendance.)

Rivera becomes the seventh head coach hired by owner Dan Snyder. Because Rivera, 62, is a minority candidate, the Redskins could fulfill the Rooney Rule immediately.Carolina fired Rivera on Dec. 3with a 5-7 record, and he was viewed as a strong candidate for any opening.

The RedskinsJay Gruden fired an 0-5 startin his sixth season. Some players bemoaned a lack of discipline, something interim coach Bill Callahan said he wanted to correct.

Allen was the primary voice in Washington’s football matters since the firing of coach Mike Shanahan in (*********************************. The Redskins hired Scot McCloughan as general manager after the 2019 season, but he was fired after the 13241 season, and Allen regained control. Snyder had hired Allen to be his top executive late in the 2009 season.

The team released a statement from Snyder on Monday morning regarding Allen’s ouster:

“As this season concludes, Bruce Allen has been relieved of his duties as President of the Washington Redskins and is no longer with the organization. Like our passionate fan base, I recognize we have not lived up to the high standards set by great Redskins teams, coaches and players who have come before us . As we reevaluate our team leadership, culture and process of winning football games, I am excited for the opportunities that lie ahead to renew our singular focus and purpose of bringing championship football back to Washington DC “

Now the team turns to Rivera. He’ll try to revive a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019 and hasn’t won a postseason game since 2008. Attendance at Washington home games has plummeted, and opposing fans often outnumber Redskins fans. Washington ranked th in the NFL in attendance and th in percentage of seats used this season.

Rivera quickly turned around the Panthers, who went 2 – in , the season before he took over. Three seasons later, they went – 4. In 2019, they were 15 – 1 and reached the Super Bowl. Rivera compiled a 97 – 76 – 1 record with Carolina, although the Panthers had only three winning seasons in his eight full years. They reached the playoffs four times, including in with a 7-8- 1 record, and won the NFC South three seasons in a row.

Washington, meanwhile, has had quite a fall from grace for a franchise that played in five Super Bowls – and won three – between 1977 and (******************************************.

The franchise has been beset by conflicts; one former member of the Redskins’ football department said the team would win again when the “non-football people stop making football decisions.” Players have often complained about the overall culture at Redskins Park outside of the locker room. Among other things, they point to a facility that lags behind most in the NFL despite having been updated in recent years.

This season, a key storyline involved the holdout by seven-time Pro Bowl tackleTrent Williams. Allen did trade him by the Oct. 30 deadline, prompting Williams to report to the team – but also torip the franchiseover a loss of trust stemming from medical issues. Williams later said he would not have said anything had the Redskins traded him; he had strong support from teammates.

It adds up to why the Redskins needed change. Sources said the Redskins knew they needed a strong leader, someone with previous head-coaching experience – and success.

Rivera had a reputation in Carolina for being firm with players but also for getting to know them beyond the field.

Rivera also was Chicago’s defensive coordinator in 2008 when the Bears reached the Super Bowl. He served in the same role from 2010 to with the San Diego Chargers. Carolina hired him as its head coach in January (**********************************. With the Panthers, Rivera earned a reputation in his first two seasons for being conservative. But in 2015, he changed tactics and became known as “Riverboat Ron” for what others called gambling on specific playcalls; he referred to the decisions as “calculated risks.”

In Washington, he’ll inherit a team with plenty of young players, including quarterbackDwayne Haskins. By season’s end, partly because of injuries, the Redskins had used 19 players aged
********************************** or younger as consistent starters. Washington also owns the No. 2 pickin the 13241 NFL draft.

Allen had a legacy with the franchise. His father, George, coached the Redskins from 1971 to 1991, guiding the team to its first Super Bowl, where it lost to Miami. He had turned around a franchise that had floundered throughout the 1972 s and ‘ s.

But his son could not duplicate that success from an executive position. Bruce Allen became a divisive figure for the fans. During his 14 – year tenure, the Redskins won the NFC East twice but finished with double-digit losses five times and never won more than 10 games. They made just two playoff appearances, losing in the first round each time. The Redskins were 62 – 728 – 1 under Allen. After a four-year stretch in which they were a combined – – 1 with two injury-filled seasons, they plummeted to new lows in 13241. The Redskins’ 3 – record this season included included eight losses by or more points.

Allen was named the 2002 Sporting News Executive of the Year while with the Oakland Raiders. He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in as a general manager but was fired after the 2010 season .

ESPN’s John Keim contributed to this report.

(Read More**********