When the Washington Commanders were sold in July, Ron Rivera was on the clock.

Rivera hadn't posted a winning record in his first three seasons with the Commanders. Usually new owners want their own coach. Rivera probably needed a winning season to keep his job.

Washington started with a couple wins, but it went south fast after that. There were many embarrassments down the stretch. The Commanders lost in Week 11 at home to the New York Giants, who were 2-8 coming in. They lost 45-10 at the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and Rivera fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio after that. Following the bye, the Commanders faced the Miami Dolphins at home and they trailed 31-7 at halftime. The defense cratered, which wasn't a good look for Rivera. On one play in Week 15 against the Rams, nobody bothered covering Cooper Kupp, and he was wide open for a 62-yard touchdown. It was a great example of a poorly coached, sloppy team.

It was all too much for Rivera to keep his job. The Commanders fired Rivera Monday, just over 12 hours after their 38-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18.

The Commanders are undergoing many changes, and they'll have a new head coach next season.

Ron Rivera gets fired

Rivera was a good hire when Washington made it. He was a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, and the Commanders were a mess under Daniel Snyder's ownership. Rivera brought a sense of professionalism to a franchise that needed it, especially when the controversial headlines with Snyder were piling up. The Commanders won the NFC East, albeit with a 7-9 record, in 2020.

The Commanders never progressed any further. They went 7-10 in 2021, 8-8-1 in 2022 and 2023 was even worse at 4-13.

The ownership group led by Josh Harris gave Rivera a shot. He had a good reputation and a strong track record, though he hadn't had much success with Washington. But Harris and his group also didn't hire Rivera and didn't have any reason to stick with him if there was another losing season.

As the losses piled up, Rivera's seat got a lot hotter.

Who will Washington hire?

Washington's job won't be as toxic as it was during the Snyder years, though there are drawbacks to it.

The roster has not improved beyond mediocrity in recent seasons. Sam Howell has done some good things, but there are still questions over whether he's good enough to be the team's long-term quarterback. There's enough uncertainty that should worry candidates, though the Commanders will have the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, where either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye will be available.

But it is a new era in Washington with Snyder gone, and there is some optimism ownership can turn around a franchise that has a lot of history but fell on hard times. Finding the right coach to lead the team into a new era will be a huge priority. Rivera kept the Commanders competitive for most of his time with the team, but in his last season the franchise was heading in the wrong direction.

The Commanders are already making sure they have the right people in place to choose the right people to lead the franchise into the future. In the statement announcing Rivera's firing, the team announced that it had hired former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers and former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman to help run the search for a new coach.

Myers and Spielman will be part of a search committee that also includes minority owner Magic Johnson.