Just days after seemingly throwing him under the bus, Ron Rivera was vehemently defending Carson Wentz.
Following the Commanders’ 12-7 “Thursday Night Football” win over the Bears, Rivera was asked about a recent ESPN report that claimed the team’s decision to trade significant capital for Wentz this past offseason was driven by owner Dan Snyder, not Rivera. The report suggested Snyder desired a “marquee” quarterback that he believed would protect him from the repercussions of his other off-field problems.
The Commanders head coach immediately exploded, denouncing the report as inaccurate.
“Everyone keeps wanting to say I didn’t want to have anything to do with Carson, well bulls–t,” Rivera, in his third season in Washington, screamed at reporters. “I’m the f–king guy that pulled out the sheets of paper, that looked at the analytics, that watched the tape of the fricken, when we were in Indianapolis. And that’s what pisses me off. Because the young man doesn’t deserve to have that all the time. I’m sorry, I’m done.”
Rivera’s tirade comes the same week he publicly ridiculed Wentz. When asked on Monday why the Commanders sat at 1-4 (they improved to 2-4 Thursday night) in his third season in charge compared to the rest of the division at 4-1, Rivera responded bluntly: “Quarterback.”
The answer drew national headlines, and prompted many, including former Washington quarterback Alex Smith, to chastise Rivera’s lack of accountability. Rivera later apologized to Wentz, and had said the two were on the same page heading into the matchup with the Bears. He addressed the entire team about the comment as well.
“They’ve played their asses off,” Rivera said after the game. “They have. They’ve played their asses off for everybody. They come out and they show up, they work hard, they don’t complain, they hear all the stuff and they’ve got to deal with it. I get that, I respect them for that because they’re resilient.”
The Commanders acquired Wentz along with a 2022 second-round pick in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and 2022 and 2023 third-round picks, though the 2023 third-rounder converts to a second-rounder in the likely case Wentz plays at least 70 percent of offensive snaps. Washington also crucially is paying his entire $28 million salary.
Wentz completed 12 of 22 passing attempts for 99 yards in the win.
