Report: Marty Hurney expected to be named Washington's new General Manager today

In one of the least shocking moves of the new year, Marty Hurney will reportedly be re-joining Ron Rivera in Washington. Hurney originally hired Rivera for his first head coaching job with the Carolina Panthers in 2011, but was fired the following year. He came back to Carolina for a second stint in 2017, but was fired again last month.

Rivera and the Washington Football Team interviewed several candidates and requested interviews with a few more, but it always looked like Hurney had the inside track due to his past relationship with the head coach. Washington is employing a coach-centric organizational structure, so Hurney's role won't be as authoritative as it has been in the past. But Rivera has a good working relationship with him, and will be able to focus more on football, and building the team culture that he wants. 2020 brought many outside distractions, combined with Rivera's well-documented treatment for cancer.

The question will be what other changes could happen to the front office now that Hurney is likely to take the GM job. Director of Pro Scouting Eric Stokes was interviewed for the same role, but he had a working relationship with both Hurney and Rivera. Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith was reportedly not interviewed, and his future with the team could be in doubt. Smith has been fantastic at his job, and has led Washington's drafts for the last 3 years and oversaw pro personnel as well this year. Do Rivera/Hurney plan to groom him for a bigger role down the line, or will Smith move on after the draft?