Commanders need to make big splash in head coach hire

On Jan. 26, 1992, head coach Joe Gibbs hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy after his Washington team defeated Buffalo 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI. It was Washington's third Super Bowl win in 10 seasons. The sky appeared to be the limit for a team that had become one of the NFL's premier organizations over three decades under Hall of Fame coaches George Allen and Gibbs.

Instead, Gibbs retired after the 1992 season, sending Washington into a tailspin that has lasted the better part of 30 years.

Since 1993, Washington has won just two playoff games. Its most recent postseason victory came in January 2006, ironically under an unretired Gibbs. Should the Detroit Lions — who haven't won a playoff game since January 1992 — beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, Washington will have the longest playoff win drought of any NFC team.

Washington's 30-year setback is in large part the fault of former owner Daniel Snyder, a man who overpaid for free-agent busts such as defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and who couldn't build a team around projected franchise quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins.

Amid a cloud of controversy, Snyder sold the team in July 2023 for $6 billion to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils managing partner Josh Harris.

After a 2-0 start in 2023, the Commanders lost 13 of their past 15 games, leading to Monday's firing of head coach Ron Rivera.

Two high-profile names loom large as Washington looks for a new coach: Jim Harbaugh of the University of Michigan and Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots.

As of Tuesday morning, each of these men still holds their current positions, but rumors concerning their potential departures have swirled for months.

Harbaugh is fresh off a College Football Playoff championship with the Wolverines and has NFL head-coaching experience with the San Francisco 49ers, whom he led to three NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance.

Belichick's record speaks for itself: eight Super Bowl rings — six as head coach of the Patriots — over a six-decade coaching career. The Pats floundered to a 4-13 record this season — their most losses since 1992 — leaving Belichick's Foxborough future in doubt.

Each of these names would lend instant credibility to a franchise desperate for the respect and clout it once had across the league. The Commanders also have draft capital, currently holding the second overall pick in April's draft. Washington is expected to have its eyes on a quarterback such as USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye.

Harris is already one of the most respected owners in the NFL simply because he isn't Snyder. If he wants to maintain this reputation, he needs to go big and get his new franchise back on track.