After firing head coach Ron Rivera on Jan. 8, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris wasted no time in beginning the search for a new head coach and head of football operations in his first offseason in charge.
A 'rapid but thorough' process that was the GM search took less than a week, as the Commanders hired Niners Assistant GM Adam Peters on Jan. 12, after he and Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham were the two finalists after five interviews held earlier in the week.
Now the process turns to the head coach - keep checking back below for the latest updates on the search as they come in, and if you'd like, check out all the details of the GM search at the very bottom!
FEB. 1, 11:30 AM: And we have a winner - the Commanders are hiring Cowboys DC Dan Quinn as their new head coach.
JAN. 31, 1 PM: And then there was one, and then there were three.
Breaking news Wednesday afternoon according to Adam Schefter: Seattle is expected to hire Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as their new head coach, and the Seahawks are finalizing the deal after meeting again with Macdonald on Wednesday.
Per Ian Rapoport, Seattle was willing to wait for Macdonald if Baltimore made the Super Bowl, but now, he will become the NFL's youngest head coach at 36, and the Commanders now have Dan Quinn, Aaron Glenn, and Anthony Weaver, along with Eric Bieniemy, as their choices among those who have interviewed in person and are known publicly.
JAN. 30, 7 PM: As the Commanders finish their second round of interviews, the list of candidates is down to four - per Albert Breer, Texans OC Bobby Slowik has agreed to a new deal in Houston 'within the past few days,' and that deal includes 'a significant raise.''
JAN. 30, 2 PM: HUGE news breaking that Ben Johnson has pulled out of the running, telling the Commanders and Seahawks he is staying put in Detroit. Per multiple reports, Johnson also told the team of this as they were en route to Detroit to interview him and Aaron Glenn - who, per Adam Schefter, the Commanders are still 'eager to meet with.'
JAN. 30, 12 PM: The Commanders met with Dan Quinn Tuesday morning, with Nicki Jhabvala tweeting out a photo of Quinn at a DC airport as a bread crumb that the meeting was over. Following that, the Commanders brass also got on a plane to head to Detroit for their final interviews, with Lions OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn.
As they did that, reports surfaced that Anthony Weaver, whom the team met with Monday, is going to interview for Miami's vacant DC position.
JAN. 29, 2 PM: Ben Standig of The Athletic laid out the timeline with 980's Kevin Sheehan today, but the in-person interviews are ramping up this week.
Per Standig, the team is meeting with Ravens assistants Anthony Weaver and Mike MacDonald today, then will meet again with Dan Quinn on Tuesday, as well as meeting with Lions coordinators Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson in Detroit. That will bring the in-person total to eight (which includes Raheem Morris, who was hired by Atlanta) and the meeting with Glenn will satisfy the Rooney Rule requirements, so the Commanders could name a head coach as soon as Wednesday in that case.
JAN. 25, 4 PM: First reported by Ian Rapoport and confirmed by Ben Standig, Dan Quinn will have a second in-person interview with the Commanders next week. Quinn met with the Commanders Wednesday and is meeting with the Seahawks Tuesday, with those two teams and Atlanta now the only remaining teams searching for a head coach.
The Commanders met with Texans OC Bobby Slowik in person on Tuesday and Raheem Morris Thursday, and are still planning to send a contingent to Detroit next week to meet with Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. Per multiple reports, they will do the same with Baltimore candidates DC Mike MacDonald and associate head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver.
JAN. 22, 12 PM: Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Commanders plan to bring Cowboys DC Dan Quinn in for an in-person second interview. Quinn had met with the team via Zoom last week, but he also has interviews lined up with the Titans on Wednesday and the Seahawks on Thursday, per Fowler.
JAN. 22, 11 AM: According to Adam Schefter, the Commanders are one of four teams that Rams DC Raheem Morris has scheduled a second interview with. Morris met with the Commanders via Zoom last week, and per Schefter, he will meet in-person with them as well as the Falcons, Panthers, and Seahawks.
JAN. 21, 2 PM: Josina Anderson reports that the Commanders interviewed assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their head coaching job at some point last week, and that the interview “was labeled "detailed" and checked all of the boxes.” Interviewing Bieniemy does not help satisfy the Rooney Rule requirements, as he is an internal candidate.
JAN. 18: The Commanders conducted Zoom interviews with Dan Quinn and Raheem Morris, per multiple reports.
JAN. 8: The following is the initial list of names the Commanders have requested interviews with for their head coaching gig:
Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, per Pelissero. Johnson – considered to be one of the hot offensive minds among NFL circles – has been with Detroit since 2019 and has served as OC since 2022. His first job in the NFL was with Miami (2012-18) in numerous roles.
Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, per Pelissero. Glenn joined Detroit as DC in 2021 after serving as the defensive backs coach in New Orleans (2016-20) and assistant DB coach in Cleveland (2014-15) after a 14-year NFL career (1994-2008) in which he made three Pro Bowl teams.
Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams, per Schefter. Morris has been the Rams' DC since 2021 after he was an assistant head coach during his time with the Falcons (2015-20) and went 4-7 as an interim HC in 2020. He spent two seasons in Washington as the defensive backs coach (2012-14) after his time as Tampa Bay's head coach (2009-11) where he posted a 17-31 record.
Anthony Weaver, associate head coach and defensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens, per Schefter. Weaver has been with the Ravens coaching the defensive line since 2021, he added assistant head coach to his title in 2022. He joined Baltimore – where he played from 2002-05 – after coaching with Houston (2016-20) where he spent his final season as defensive coordinator.
Mike MacDonald, defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, per Rapoport. After serving as a defensive coach on Baltimore's staff from 2014-20 ending as linebackers coach, MacDonald went to Michigan as DC in 2021. This is his second season as DC with the Ravens.
Bobby Slowik, offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans, per Nicki Jhabvala. Slowik began his NFL coaching career on Mike Shanahan's staff in Washington as a video assistant in 2010 before working as a defensive assistant (2011-13). He returned to the NFL after a stint with PFF to join Kyle Shanahan's staff in 2017 where he was until 2022 in a variety of rules, finishing as the passing game coordinator.
Dan Quinn, defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, per John Keim. Quinn was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (2015-20) with a 43-42 record and two trips to the playoffs, including the Super Bowl LI loss to New England. He is in his second year with Dallas as DC after serving as the Seahawks DC (2013-14). Keim indicated that Quinn will take the interview.
Head of Football Operations search:
JAN. 12, 11:45 A.M.
Per Adam Schefter, Adam Peters is being hired as GM. Read more here.
JAN. 11, 11:30 A.M.
Per multiple sources, and confirmed by our Grant Paulsen and JP Finlay, the Commanders have narrowed their search down to two finalists in Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham and 49ers Assistant GM Adam Peters.
Per Finlay, "Both Cunningham and Peters have told other teams no, not interested. Peters probably the favorite, but they're both in it. They want this job." He also said that according to a source, "Bill Belichick now being officially available does not change things - he's not expected to be in the Commanders' plans."
JAN. 9, 10 A.M.
Harris and his committee will hold five meetings at Harris' home in Miami; Mike Borgonzi, Glenn Cook, and Adam Peters on Tuesday, Jan. 9, and Ian Cunningham and Alc Halaby on Wednesday, Jan. 10, according to multiple reports.
ORIGINAL POST ON JAN. 8:
Harris announced the formation of "a small advisory committee" to assist him in identifying people for the GM and head coach openings. The committee will be led by Harris and include minority owners Mitch Rales, Magic Johnson and David Blitzer as well as former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers and Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman.
"In my experience, championship infrastructure begins with a strong ownership group that prioritizes culture and invests in attracting the industry's most talented and innovative leaders," Myers said in a statement after joining the Commanders' advisory committee. "In speaking with Josh and his team, it's clear they will do everything it takes to build out a world-class organization – one that can win on the field and make a positive mark in the DMV community."
ESPN reported Myers will take a leading role in identifying and coordinating interviews with candidates and that began Monday with the organization putting in requests to interview numerous candidates for the team's two vacant positions.
Head of football operations interview requests:
Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager of the Chicago Bears, per Ian Rapoport. Cunningham has been with the Bears since Jan. 2022, he spent the previous five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles where he finished as director of player personnel. Update Jan. 9: Cunningham will interview Wednesday, per Jeremy Fowler.
Glenn Cook, assistant general manager with the Cleveland Browns, per Jonathan Jones. Cook, who has also held the VP of player personnel title with Cleveland since 2020 after joining the organization in 2016, interviewed for the Titans GM job last offseason after being a GM candidate during the 2022 hiring cycle as well. Update Jan. 9: Cook will have his interview with the team on Tuesday, per Ian Rapoport.
Adam Peters, assistant general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, per Adam Schefter. Peters is in his third season as an assistant GM with the 49ers after spending the past four as VP of player personnel. He joined San Francisco after spending eight seasons (2009-16) with Denver. Update Jan. 9: Peters will have his interview with the team on Tuesday, per Rapoport.
Mike Borgonzi, assistant general manager with the Kansas City Chiefs, per Schefter. Borgonzi is in his 15th season with the Chiefs, was promoted to his current title in 2021 after three seasons as director of football operations (2018-20) and three seasons and director of player personnel (2017)/co-director (2015-16). He has been a top lieutenant for KC's top man Brett Veach during their recent run. Update Jan 9: Borgonzi will be interviewing with Washington on Tuesday, a source told Rapoport.
Alec Halaby, assistant general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles, per Tom Pelissero. Halaby became an assistant GM in 2022 after spending six seasons (2016-21) as Philadelphia's vice president of football operations and strategy. This is his 16th year with the Eagles. Update Jan. 9: Halaby will interview on Wednesday, per Nicki Jhabvala.
Will McClay, vice president of player personnel of the Dallas Cowboys, per Todd Archer. McClay has been with the Cowboys organization since 2003 beginning as a scout. He served as the senior director of pro/college scouting (2015-16) before taking his current role in 2017.