Washington Commanders fans had it all planned out in their heads from the moment Josh Harris and the new ownership parted ways with Ron Rivera a day into the offseason, announcing an out-of-the-box approach that includes a former high-ranking NBA executive and NFL general manager to assist in the search for a new GM — and that choice would be the point man in landing the next head coach.
Less than a week later, San Francisco 49ers Assistant General Manager Adam Peters agreed to an interview despite receiving many requests from a variety of clubs last year and this year, which he declined. Peter has been hailed as the best GM candidate available for the past two years, if not longer, but he has refused to take an interview. His scouting knowledge made him the point man for creating the current 49ers roster that will compete in the Super Bowl, and he has appeared in four of the previous five AFC Championship games.
And then, bang! Peters agreed to become the next General Manager of the Washington Commanders within the next 24 hours.
Fans were elated. After years of dysfunction and Dan Snyder meddling in personnel choices, Washington had finally become a location where top talent in coaching and managerial positions would not even contemplate, and the Peters hire brought so much promise for the future.
What happened since then? Until Monday of this week, practically every Commanders beat writer and national insider expected Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be the next coach in Washington. While nothing was put in stone and the company was considering a range of individuals, Johnson was expected to sign with the Washington Commanders as soon as the Lions season finished.
Boomer Esiason, a national CBS commentator and former NFL quarterback, labelled Johnson a “lock” as the new Commanders coach just last week.
“Let me recommend the best coach available…”….his name is Ben Johnson; he’s the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions,” Esiason said.
“Runs an unbelievable offence, but he’s going to be the next head coach of the Commanders, I told ya.”
Esiason’s co-host inquired: “So, you’re telling me that’s a lock?”
“Yeah,” Esiason responded. When pressed again, Esiason replied, “Yes.”
However, on Monday’s Pat McAfee show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter “bet” that Ben Johnson and Dan Quinn would not end up in Washington or Seattle, despite all of the hype linking those two coordinators to the two remaining vacancies.
Local media quickly questioned the new Washington Commanders saviour, but supporters remained optimistic.
Schefty is more involved than anyone else, although most Commanders fans ignored it. They were aware that Josh Harris and the Washington brass were boarding an aircraft bound for Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, and while they also had an appointment with Lions DC Aaron Glenn arranged, the idea was that they would sign a contract with Johnson and make an announcement.
But then the most stunning turn of events occurred, sending this fan base — one with PTSD from the Dan Snyder period and decades of losing — into a complete frenzy.
Fans of the Washington Commanders are losing their minds. When Dan Quinn Reported As Frontrunner For HC While on the way to Detroit, Washington brass learned that Ben Johnson, the Lions’ offensive coordinator, had elected to stay with the team he helped turn around.
Given that the new Commanders ownership group had yet to make a hire — while other positions were filled by appealing names such as Harbaugh, Canales, and Callahan — it sparked an almost indescribable reaction among the fan base.
Former Washington beat reporter and current DC Sports radio personality called the scenario “completely disastrous.”
Dallas DC Dan Quinn has been the least popular among the fan base of any of the names listed above. When Quinn was touted as a prospective candidate, Paulsen stated that he would be “heartbroken” if he was hired.
As stories surfaced concerning Johnson’s prospective compensation demands of $15 million per year plus roster control, while another questioned if he even wanted to be a head coach or was prepared, his allure faded.
When a new report reached the airways about an hour after Johnson pulled out, there were no more youthful offensive wits. Bobby Slowik, the Texans’ offensive coordinator, signed a new contract to stay in Houston.
Fans of the Washington Commanders then shifted their focus to the only player who could fire this fan base, despite the fact that he is not the offensive intellect they had hoped for.
Baltimore Ravens DC Mike MacDonald. The 36-year-old was labelled as a “defensive” Sean McVay, and while most people wanted the next Shanahan, McVay, LaFleur, or McDaniel, there were no young, bright offensive brains available at this point in the game. That was Johnson.
The goal is that Macdonald will be able to bring in an under-the-radar OC who can help develop whatever QB they decide to choose at No. 2 overall, as Slowik did this season under Demeco Ryans with CJ Stroud in their first year. He would also create a defensive juggernaut while implementing the Baltimore ethos that has kept the team competitive for more than two decades.
But the Seahawks are also very interested in Macdonald, and as fans eagerly await the next coach and the first hiring of the new ownership group, which is meant to be fresh and exciting, John Keim tweeted one simple tweet that drove the fan base into a frenzy.
Dan Quinn couldn’t really be an option at this stage, given how important this hire is to the new smart ownership group.
Then John Keim, the ESPN Washington Commanders Insider who is most trusted by fans as a source, tweeted the name he had heard the most about — and it wasn’t Macdonald or a young new coach. Fans predicted Ron Rivera 2.0, and optimism and hope quickly gave way to wrath and hatred.
Here’s Keim’s tweet, in which he essentially reveals the new frontrunner as Dallas Cowboys DC and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, who reached one Super Bowl but lost (like Rivera) and was fired with a record of one game over.500 as head coach. In the first round of the playoffs, Jordan Love and the Packers scorched his defence as well.
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