Peter King: ‘No One Loves’ Commanders Hiring Dan Quinn as HC from Cowboys

Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images

The Washington Commanders’ hire of Dan Quinn as the team’s new head coach was not met with much enthusiasm around the NFL, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King.

“No one loves this hire, because Quinn has been one of the most passed-over coaches in recent years, and most people in the game think he was the consolation prize after [Detroit Lions offensive coordinator] Ben Johnson either bombed out or overplayed his monetary hand in his contacts with the Commanders,” King wrote on Monday.

Although Johnson was a hot commodity during the latest coaching cycle, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero revealed on Jan. 30 that he would be returning to the Lions for the 2024 season. The offensive coordinator was reportedly “turned off” by Washington’s ownership and “didn’t interview well,” according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.

Two days after it was reported that Johnson would be returning to Detroit, the Commanders hired Quinn.

Although the former Atlanta Falcons head coach saw his tenure with the team end poorly after he was fired early in the 2020 season after an 0-5 start, he blossomed as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in recent years. In 2023, Dallas owned the No. 5 scoring defense in the NFL.

However, it seems as though there’s optimism regarding new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. The former Arizona Cardinals head coach was hired by the Commanders on Sunday, Jordan Schultz reported for Bleacher Report.

King noted that “Kingsbury could turn out to be a more influential hire than Quinn for this franchise,” given his familiarity with USC standout signal-caller Caleb Williams. Kingsbury served as a senior offensive analyst for the Trojans in 2023.