Washington Commanders fans had it all planned out in their minds from the moment Josh Harris and the new ownership parted ways with Ron Rivera a day into the offseason, announced an outside-the-box approach that involves a former high-ranking NBA exec and NFL GM to aid in the search for a new GM —and that choice — would be the point man in landing the next head coach.
Dan Snyder was long gone and the future was brighter than ever.
Less than a week later, despite multiple requests from a bevy of teams last year and this year he turned down, San Francisco 49ers Assistant General Manager Adam Peters agreed to an interview. For the last two years or even more, Peter has been touted as the top GM candidate available but wouldn’t take an interview. His background in scouting made him the point man for assembling the current 49ers roster that’s heading to the Super Bowl and has made four out of the last five AFC Championship games.
And then, boom! Peters inked a deal to become the next General Manager of the Washington Commanders within the next 24 hours.
Fans were ecstatic. After years of dysfunction and Dan Snyder meddling in personnel decisions while finally turning Washington into a destination where the top talent when it came to coaches and executives wouldn’t even consider, the Peters hire provided so much hope for the future.
Since then? Until Monday of this week, nearly every Commanders beat writer and national insider believed Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson would be the next coach in D.C. While there was nothing set in stone and the organization was interviewing a variety of candidates it was assumed Johnson would ink a deal with the Washington Commanders as soon as the Lions season ended.
National CBS broadcaster and former NFL QB Boomer Esiason called Johnson a “lock” as the next Commanders coach just last week.
“I’ll tell you who the best coach available is…….his name is Ben Johnson; he’s the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions,” Esiason said.
“Runs an unbelievable offense, but he’s going to be the next head coach of the Commanders, I told ya.”
Esiason’s co-host asked him: “So, you’re telling me that’s a lock?”
“Yeah,” Esiason replied. When pressed again, Esiason said, “Yes.”
But on Monday’s addition of the Pat McAfee show, the first report that something different may play out emerged from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who “bet” Ben Johnson wouldn’t end up in Washington or Dan Quinn wouldn’t end up in Seattle despite all of the hype linking those two coordinators to the two remaining vacancies.
Suddenly there was doubt about the new Washington Commanders savior amongst local media, but fans remained optimistic.
Nobody is more plugged in than Schefty, but Commanders fans dismissed it for the most part. They knew Josh Harris and the Washington brass were boarding a plane headed for Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, and while they also had an interview scheduled with Lions DC Aaron Glenn, the expectation was they would ink a deal with Johnson and make an announcement.
But then the most shocking turn of events happened and it sent this fan base — one with PTSD from the Dan Snyder era and decades of losing — into an absolute frenzy.
Johnson wouldn’t be taking the job, or any NFL job for that matter.
Washington Commanders Fans Lose Their Minds When Dan Quinn Reported As Frontrunner For HC After Ben Johnson Bails
Literally as the Washington brass was on the plane flying to Detroit, they were informed Ben Johnson decided to stay with the team he’s helped turnaround as the Lions’ OC.
Considering the new Commanders ownership group hadn’t made a hire yet — as other vacancies were filled by attractive names like Harbaugh, Canales and Callahan — it suddenly triggered the fan base in a way that is almost indescribable.
Former Washington beat reporter and current DC Sports radio host described the situation as “completely disastrous.”
Ben Johnson staying in DET is a completely disastrous development for the Commanders.
Their remaining 5 candidates are Mike MacDonald, Anthony Weaver, Aaron Glenn, Dan Quinn and Bobby Slowik.
** Only one offensive HC candidate in an era when you should be hiring offensive **
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) January 30, 2024
Of all the names listed above, Dallas DC Dan Quinn has been by far the most unpopular amongst the fan base so far. Paulsen mentioned he would be “heartbroken” if Quinn was actually hired when his name was mentioned as a possible candidate.
As reports began to emerge about Johnson’s potential salary demands of reportedly $15 million per year plus a certain control over the roster, while a separate report questioned whether he even wanted to be a head coach or was ready, his charm began to fade.
And then there were no young offensive minds left when a new report hit the airwaves roughly an hour after Johnson backed out. Texans OC Bobby Slowik inked a new deal to stay with Houston.
Washington Commanders fans then turned their attention to the only guy that will ignite this fan base, although he isn’t the offensive mind they had imagined.
Baltimore Ravens DC Mike Macdonald. The 36-year-old us described as a “defensive” Sean McVay, and while most everyone wanted the next Shanahan, McVay, LaFleuer or McDaniel, there were no young, bright offensive minds available this late in the game. That was Johnson.
The hope would be Macdonald would have sway to bring in an under-the-radar OC that could develop whatever QB they decide to draft at No. 2 overall much like Slowik did this season under Demeco Ryans with CJ Stroud in their first year. He would also build a defensive juggernaut while implementing the culture from Baltimore that has made the organization competitors for more than two decades.
But she Seahawks are also highly interested in Macdonald and as fans anxiously await the next coach and first hire of the new ownership group that’s supposed to feel new and invigorating, John Keim, sent one simple tweet that sent the fan base into an absolute frenzy.
Dan Quinn couldn’t really be an option as this point, with this new brilliant ownership group knowing the importance of this hire?
Then John Keim, ESPN Washington Commanders Insider who is most trusted among fans when it comes to sources — tweeted the name he has heard the best feedback about — and it wasn’t Macdonald or a young innovative coach at all. According to fans, it would be Ron Rivera 2.0 and optimism and hope turned to anger and fury in a matter of hours.
Here’s the tweet where Keim essentially announces the new frontrunner to be Dallas Cowboys DC and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, who reached one Super Bowl and lost (like Rivera) and was fired with a record one game over .500 as a head coach. His defense also got torched by Jordan Love and the Packers in the first round of the playoffs.
Have to say of all the candidates Washington talked to, the one I heard the most glowing things about was Quinn. Now, some of that could be he’s worked with more people, been a HC. Key 4 any hire: coordinator hires, QB. Period.
— John Keim (@john_keim) January 30, 2024
And here are just a few of the thousands of negative replies:
Sick to my stomach
— Khoi Cao (@khoi_cao_) January 30, 2024
no no no no no no no no
— Will (@CommandersWill) January 30, 2024
Screwed we are pic.twitter.com/CnXYLgRlKt
— 🅰🅽🆃🐜🆃🅾🅴~🅺🅽🅴🅴~🆈🅾🅾🅾 (@AntAllDay21_ST) January 30, 2024
Quinn is just Rivera with a backwards hat.
MacDonald now or this has been a complete total failure of a process that reeks of Snyder era proportions.— #ALLCAPS Mike (@GrahfXeno) January 31, 2024
Regular season 43–42 (.506)
Postseason:3–2 (.600)
Career:46–44 (.511)2 winning seasons in 5 with a elite OC and a damn good Qb at the time. No thanks nobody wants Ron Rivera 2.0
— Coach Rose (@RRose78) January 30, 2024
This is truly the only unacceptable hire of all the candidates. The only proven loser of the bunch
— Marcus (@NaptownRedskins) January 30, 2024
— J.C.W. (@JDubHTTR) January 30, 2024
Just click on Keim’s original tweet to see how furious the Washington Commanders fans will be if Dan Quinn is the hire. There may be actual riots. It should be an entertaining next 24-48 hours that’s for sure.
