Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris gathered the team’s players at 9 a.m. Monday to deliver a simple message: From here on out, the ball is in my court.
Harris knows the importance of getting these next hires right as he looks for a new general manager and coach for the Commanders. To that end, he’s enlisted two esteemed executives to help him in his search.
Rick Spielman spent more than a decade as general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, and Bob Myers was the general manager of the Golden State Warriors during their recent dynasty.
Harris said he’d ideally like to hire the general manager, or head of football operations, first, then the head coach, but acknowledged that the best candidates will go quickly, which is why the team sent out more than 10 interview requests to league personnel they want to talk to on Monday.
“What we’re ultimately trying to do is end up with the best people, and the best people generally have alternatives,” Harris said, adding the search will be “thorough but rapid.”
While he’s best known for championing “The Process,” a multi-year stretch of tanking and rebuilding with the Philadelphia 76ers, he didn’t want to put a timeframe on turning around the Commanders.
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“We want it to be as quick as we can, but the ultimate goal, right, is to be an elite team that’s competing for championships,” Harris said. “I find that when you do things quickly, sometimes you set yourself back, so my orientation is to make the right decisions, and let the timeframe take its own course.”
Part of that course is the unorthodox decision to enlist Myers, a trusted basketball executive known for building a player-friendly culture with the Warriors, to bring those insights to the football world.
“I have been fortunate to know Josh Harris for many years, and his commitment to building championship-caliber teams is what drew me here,” Myers said in a statement. “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.”
Both positions, coach and general manager, are governed by NFL rules for hiring that require formal interviews. In addition, no one can be hired from a team that is in the playoffs until that team is eliminated. Add in the Rooney Rule, which requires the team to interview minority candidates for both positions, and the next press conference is likely weeks, not days, away.
Harris will also need to determine a structure for the new organization. In addition to a coach and general manager, he might also have a team president and a vice president of player personnel. His love of analytics is well known, and he may create an entire department around the concept — but would need to determine who they report to. He said he wants to be “flexible around talent.”
He also needs to decide what kind of coach he wants. Will he take a swing for a big name like Jim Harbaugh or Bill Belichick, or is he after an up-and-coming assistant?
Whoever is in charge will take on the quest for stability at quarterback, which has plagued the team for decades.
Washington will be working with a top draft position and can bring in one of the draft’s top-rated quarterbacks, or attempt to bring in a veteran quarterback.
One topic Harris didn’t want to take on was whether he would ultimately rename the team. The “Commanders” name continues to be a source of contention among fans, but Harris was noncommittal on Monday.
“Yeah, as you can see, we’re a little busy,” Harris said with a laugh. “Our focus today is on sports, first and foremost, and then these other things (referring to stadium improvements and other fan experience initiatives). So, you know, those are our focuses right now.”
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