Redskins name Rivera coach

The Washington Redskins hired Ron Rivera as their coach, the team announced Wednesday morning, bringing the franchise a popular leader who is widely respected around the NFL.

Rivera, the former coach of the Carolina Panthers, reached an agreement with owner Daniel Snyder after the two met Monday. The team did not disclose terms of the deal, but the NFL Network reported Tuesday that Rivera had agreed to a five-year contract.

Rivera, 57, was 76-63-1 with the Panthers before being fired earlier this month after a loss to the Redskins.

Rivera was working Tuesday to assemble a staff of assistant coaches, while the Redskins were in the process of reconfiguring their front office in a manner that was acceptable to Rivera, according to multiple people familiar with the team's planning.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said Wednesday he has agreed to become Rivera's defensive coordinator. Del Rio is viewed as one of the league's top defensive minds.

The NFL considers Rivera, the son of an Army officer from Puerto Rico, a minority coaching candidate, putting the Redskins in compliance with the Rooney rule, which requires each team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one nonwhite candidate. The Redskins also considered former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, a one-time Redskins defensive coordinator, and probably would have interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy if the search had continued.

Lewis is not expected to be a candidate for a front office job with the

Redskins, a person familiar with the situation said Tuesday.

Browns, Mccarthy to meet

Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Mccarthy is scheduled to meet with the Browns on Thursday, a person familiar with the team's plans confirmed, adding it will be the first interview of this coaching search.

Mccarthy had received interest from the Browns last year but an interview never happened. Mccarthy had worked for seven seasons in Green Bay with John Dorsey, who reached a mutual agreement Tuesday with the Browns to end his two-year run as general manager. Some media members have speculated the relationship between Mccarthy and Dorsey — or Dorsey's top lieutenants — wasn't great.