January 1, 2025

With the Jets head coaching search underway, they are expected to interview Ron Rivera on Thursday. Personally, that’s a "no" for me. 

Rivera is a very experienced head coach, having spent 13 seasons with the Panthers and the Commanders. He coached 9 seasons in Carolina from 2011 to 2019, where he enjoyed much of his success, and 4 seasons in Washington from 2020 to 2023, where his performance was less impressive. 

Over his 13 years as a head coach, Rivera has posted a 102-103-2 record in the regular season and a 3-5 record in the postseason. 

As head coach of the Panthers, Rivera compiled a 79-61-1 record over 9 seasons, with 4 playoff appearances. During that time, he was named Coach of the Year twice, in 2013 and 2015. His most successful year came in 2015 when he led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a trip to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Broncos. After that season, however, Rivera was unable to replicate that level of success. Following playoff misses in 2018 and 2019, he was fired before the 2019 season ended. 

In his time as head coach of Washington, Rivera struggled throughout all 4 seasons. He started strong in his first year, leading the team to the playoffs and winning the NFC East despite finishing with a losing record. Washington lost to the Buccaneers in the playoffs. After that, Rivera’s teams faced consistent struggles, both in terms of record and how he utilized players. He mismanaged players like Emmanuel Forbes, Landon Collins, and Antonio Gibson. 

Rivera also had significant issues with first-round draft picks. Despite having top-20 selections, he failed to hit on picks like Chase Young, Jamin Davis, Jahan Dotson, and Emmanuel Forbes, all of whom are no longer with the team. 

Although Rivera's first half as a head coach was strong, the second half of his career has been marked by poor decisions and questionable coaching. That’s why hiring Ron Rivera is a "no" for me.