The Ron Rivera era in Washington will soon be coming to an end. At 26-37-1 in four seasons as head coach, Rivera is expected to finish the season before new owner Josh Harris moves in another direction.
There is at least one former Washington player who will be happy to see Rivera go.
Nick Sundberg was Washington’s long snapper for 11 seasons, from 2010-20, with his final season overlapping Rivera’s first season in Washington. One of the NFL’s best and most reliable long snappers for a decade, Rivera unceremoniously moved on from Sundberg in the 2021 offseason.
As a guest on “Grant and Danny” on 106.7 The Fan this week, Sundberg explained that he was supposed to be in Washington for longer, but Rivera lied to his face.
“Yeah, but I mean, hopefully, I’ll be able to root for the team again in a few weeks,” Sundberg said when asked if it was difficult to see what the 4-10 Commanders have become via Lou DiPietro of Audacy.
“It’s tough to watch Ron, man. I don’t like him, clearly………I mean, if I got cut in January or just told I wasn’t being brought back in January, but three days before free agency starts is a little frustrating. That aggravated me quite a bit. I could have been rehabbing in Phoenix this whole time, but I was there trying to do what was right for the team and all that sort of thing, and they were and constantly like, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get it (a contract) done, we’ll talk to your agent,’ just lying to your face type of stuff. So that is annoying.”
Sundberg holds no ill will toward Camaron Cheeseman, who the Commanders drafted to replace him in 2021 and released this week after struggling all season.
Remember, Rivera isn’t just Washington’s head coach; he’s also the head of all football operations. Since assuming that role in 2020, Rivera has made one bad decision after another. Whether it’s bungling the quarterback position, bad free-agent signings, or getting little from his draft classes, Rivera’s time as a GM has been a disaster.
Then, there is the story of Cheeseman. The Commanders moved up into the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft to select Cheeseman. Not only do NFL teams not draft long snappers, they certainly do not trade up for them.
As for Sundberg, there was talk of an injury, but Rivera didn’t see that as a problem when he initially told Sundberg the two sides would get a contract done. And this isn’t a case of Sundberg being out to get Rivera. Sundberg was a beloved member of Washington’s organization and the local DMV community. He was Washington’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee on two separate occasions.
Sundberg will be rooting for the Commanders again:
“Hopefully soon, sooner rather than later,” he said.