How the Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn as head coach

Dan Quinn waited for his phone to ring, tensely.

It was February 7, the day following his interview to become the Washington Commanders’ new coach, and in this instance, quiet was not golden.

After serving as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for four years and having a successful tenure as the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys from 2021 to 2023, Quinn thought the time had come to once again run his own club. But the phone was being uncooperative. So, his wife Stacey recommended they take a trip to decompress rather than just having him walk about their Dallas house.

General manager of the Commanders Adam Peters was in Mobile, Alabama, attending a meal with team scouts while receiving calls. call as he and the hiring committee for Washington concluded the selection of the team’s next coach.

At last, Peters gave Quinn a call that evening.

However, no response was received. Quinn was dozing off on his couch.

Quinn cracked a joke during his first press conference, saying, “He made me wait so long.” “I’m not answering on the first ring.”

He returned the call promptly, and Peters broke the good news. Quinn heard the enthusiastic General Manager’s employment offer and answered with two words: “F— yeah!” He then gave Stacey a hug.

Following a week and fourteen interviews with prospective applicants, Quinn and Washington got their guy. The hiring committee for the Commanders, which included Peters, owner Josh Harris, senior NFL general manager Rick Spielman, former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers, and seasoned front office veteran Martin Mayhew, had been persuaded by Quinn’s leadership qualities and eagerness to learn.

from disappointment and a desire to collaborate closely with the front desk. Quinn’s case was aided by a deluge of support from Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who had dismissed Quinn in 2020, as well as Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

The hunt for a new coach at Washington wasn’t without interest. Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Lions, was considered but ultimately decided to stay in Detroit. Mike Macdonald of the Baltimore Ravens and Raheem Morris of the Los Angeles Rams were both given consideration as defensive coordinators before Macdonald selected the Seattle Seahawks and Morris selected the Falcons, according to many team sources. However, sources closely engaged in the hiring process claim that Quinn, who as coordinator oversaw the Seahawks’ renowned Legion of Boom defense, led Atlanta to a Super Bowl trip as head

“Every time we spoke with Dan, it became more and more clear that he was the guy,” Peters stated. It was as though we were speaking the same language both times. I realized early immediately that Dan would be a fantastic coach for us because it was so amazing, we had such a great connection, and we had a great shared vision.”

For many of the Washington hiring committee members, a COACHING SEARCH was nothing out of the ordinary. As a general manager in Minnesota, Spielman had accomplished this. Before choosing Kerr, Myers had interviews with a number of prospects. Harris has made many coaching hires with the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers. As general manager of the Lions for eight seasons, Mayhew experienced it again.

The group’s experience was priceless for Peters, who was hiring a coach for the first time. Sometimes he would just watch this group take the lead, observing the potential coach’s body language from a distance.

According to several people engaged in the interview process, Quinn was asked the same question by Harris during the interview process as other people: What was Quinn’s assessment of the team’s personnel? Harris also addressed the owner, general manager, and coach’s connection. About the coach-GM relationship, Myers also had a question. Spielman inquired as to how he would respond in a crisis, such getting a call at two in the morning regarding a player who had just been arrested for DUI.