So Kevin Sheehan got some interesting news over the weekend: there’s someone in the Commanders’ building that Josh Harris has been talking to a lot, and has possibly been advising Harris on what the next moves for the organization should be.
And it’s a name you might not expect as one so close to Ron Rivera…
“What I’ve learned is that Marty Hurney, who was a long time executive in Carolina with Ron Rivera and a long and now has been with Rivera here for the last 2 ½ years, has become a trusted voice in the organization for Josh Harris,” Kevin revealed Monday. “And David Tepper, who Josh Harris knows and is the current owner of the Panthers, was apparently high on Hurney as well.”
Hurney’s title is Executive Vice President of Football/Player Personnel, although he’s the less visible half of the “Marty Party,” as GM Martin Mayhew is usually the one in that forward-facing role. But, as Sheehan has heard, it’s Hurney that has become a trusted voice internally.
“Remember, Hurney has been in this league a long time and knows the key players, and while I’m not saying he’ll be the hire, as Josh Harris is looking for an opinion he trusts, he may be a voice of who to bring in for an interview and what names fill what buckets,” Sheehan said. “Marty Hurney was a reporter for the Washington Star (now the Times) who covered the Redskins in the 1980s, and then was hired by Bobby Beathard to join the PR department, so he’s been around.”
Again, it may not mean anything in terms of Hurney’s job security after this year, but for now, he is the one helping Harris navigate the waters as Commanders owner…and maybe more?
“The future structure of this organization could be a coach and GM where the GM is the number one football voice in the organization, or a coach-centric way could be in play again,” Sheehan said, “but the third possibility would be a president of the organization, followed by a general manager, followed by the head coach. That’s my hunch as how this will be structured. Several organizations operate that way – and right now Jason Wright is the team president, not just of business operations, but I would expect there would be a true president of the football operations who will then hire a GM and a head coach.”
Could Hurney be the first link in that chain, on the same level as Wright or someone else on the business side?