NFL notebook Rivera reportedly accepts deal to be new coach in Washington
Ron Rivera has agreed to become head coach of the Washington Redskins, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Rivera, the former coach of the Carolina Panthers, reached an agreement with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder after the two met Monday, the individuals said. 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.
Jack Del Rio was being considered as a candidate to be Rivera’s defensive coordinator with the Redskins.
The Redskins declined to confirm Rivera’s hiring and refused to comment on a report by the league-owned NFL Network that Rivera agreed to a five-year contract. Rivera was not available to comment. His agent, Frank Bauer, did not respond to requests for comment.
Bauer previously confirmed that Rivera would meet Monday with the Redskins. The meeting came after Rivera, who was fired Dec. 3 by Panthers owner David Tepper, and his wife traveled to the Washington area.
It has been a tumultuous few days for the Redskins, who finished a 3-13 season with a 47-16 loss Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys. The next day, Snyder fired team president Bruce Allen.
Rivera will be the 10th head coach in the two decades that Snyder has owned the Redskins.
Texans
Defensive lineman J.J. Watt was added to Houston’s active roster ahead of a wildcard playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. Watt, who tore a pectoral muscle in October, returned to practice Dec. 24 and was activated to the roster from the injured reserve Tuesday. The Texans host the Bills Saturday afternoon. This is the third time in four seasons that the three-time
NFL defensive player of the year has had a major injury. He missed the last 13 games of 2016 with a back injury and played just five games in 2017 before breaking his leg. He played all 16 games last season and was a first-team AllPro after finishing with 16 sacks and 18 tackles for loss.
Bears
Chicago remains committed to Mitchell Trubisky as its starting quarterback despite his struggles this season, general manager Ryan Pace said, though he stopped short of saying the club would exercise their fifthyear option on him. The Bears were banking on Trubisky to take another big step in his third year in the NFL and second in coach Matt Nagy’s system. But instead of emerging as a top-tier quarterback, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft took a step back as the Bears went 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years.
Jaguars
Jacksonville decided to retain coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell despite consecutive losing seasons. “This is not the time to consider an overhaul of our organization,” owner Shad Khan said. Marrone and Caldwell have two years remaining on their contracts.