Jason Wright, hired by Dan Synder to help transition the Washington football franchise through scandals and rebuild the organizational culture, will leave his role as team president immediately before departing the organization by the end of the 2024 NFL season, Wright and Commanders owner Josh Harris told The Washington Post.
“This feels like the right moment for me to explore my next leadership opportunity,” Wright said. “I’m extremely grateful to my Commanders colleagues, our fans and this community for all that we have accomplished these past four years, and am looking forward to the start of a very successful season for the Burgundy and Gold.”
Wright, who took the job in August 2020, said he was "incredibly proud" of what the franchise has accomplished during his tenure.
"Together with an amazing team of professionals, we have taken this franchise through a period of immense challenge and uncertainty and have transformed it," his statement continued. "We've set the table for. an incredibly bright future under Josh's leadership. Over just the past year, we've welcomed record numbers of fans back into our building, made meaningful improvements to the fan experience, re-engaged with corporate partners, and reconnected with the community.
"Most importantly, we re-established a culture of respect in this organization."
Wright will hold the title of senior adviser but will maintain his responsibilities as the team's president, focusing primarily on the search for a new stadium and a naming rights partner for the team's current stadium.
“Jason has made a remarkable impact on the Commanders organization since he joined four years ago,” Harris said in a statement to The Post. “He stepped in at a time of immense challenge and has led this organization through an incredible transformation that set that stage for everything that is to come. I am extremely grateful to Jason for his partnership to me and the rest of the ownership group over the past year. His guidance has been invaluable and his leadership has helped reshape our culture.”
The search for the Commanders' next team president will be led by Harris and Tad Brown, the chief executive of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the venture that operates the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.
The Post reported that Wright's previous contract with the team was set to expire next month, and Wright met with the team's business staff to inform them of his pending exit. If Wright finds another job before the end of the football season – he interviewed for a similar job with the Green Bay Packers earlier this offseason – the team will support "an expedited exit for him," according to The Post.
Wright, a former NFL running back who went into consulting after getting his MBA upon the end of his playing days, became the focus of much fan discontent with the organization, particularly in the last months of Snyder's ownership. He was seen as the face of much of the team's rebranding efforts – which received very mixed reviews from fans – culminating in the franchise announcing the new name, Commanders, in Feb. 2022. And he was blamed for several of the team's public missteps in that, including a failed attempt to honor Sean Taylor.