GREATER LANDOVER, Md. — The Washington Commanders are headed into another offseason of uncertainty after a tumultuous year of ups and downs. Adding to the unease are questions surrounding team ownership.
In November, co-owners Dan and Tanya Snyder hired Bank of America to help explore the potential sale of the team. But how does the sale affect the coaches and players? Head coach Ron Rivera plans to meet with the Snyders on Monday. During a press conference, Rivera and General Manager Martin Mayhew downplayed the impact of the sale.
"I don't worry about that. We're really focused on what we need to do to get better for next season," Mayhew said. Rivera agreed.
"We're going to do what we're supposed to do as far as getting ourselves ready to go forward," Rivera said in Tuesday's press conference.
The Commanders can downplay the organizational impact of ownership uncertainty, but this is not the first time Rivera has gone through ownership change.
Back in 2018, Rivera was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. David Tepper purchased the team that year. Since then he has fired two head coaches, including Rivera. He changed the Tepper Sports CEO, CMO, VP of Business and General Council. He also fired 15 employees and laid off or furloughed another 23 people.
The Commanders have not had a winning season since 2016. As the team looks to improve, questions surrounding the team's ownership could certainly impact the players who want to join the Commanders.
So, will a new owner sign off on paying a player big-time money?
Just look at the Washington Nationals. The Lerner family announced they were selling the team last year. Before they traded superstar Juan Soto, his camp told Sports Illustrated he did not want to sign away the rest of his career to a "ghost owner."
It's not yet clear what will happen with the Commanders, but there are great unknowns that come with an ownership change.
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