Ron Rivera is trying to build a winning culture with the Washington Redskins. In his first year as head coach, Rivera wants to set the tone and wants players who are ready to buy into his vision. He has the mindset of ridding the team of anyone who isn’t willing to buy, thus leading to the talented cornerback Quinton Dunbar.
Dunbar pushed his way out of Washington after their new regime led by Rivera balked on a request of new deal.
“He was looking for something we weren’t going to give him,” Rivera told beat writers in a video conference on Tuesday per JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington.
The Redskins ultimately traded Dunbar to the Seattle Seahawks for a fifth-round pick. Considering Dunbar’s potential a fifth-round pick seemed low even considering the injury history of Dunbar.
However, Rivera didn’t see it that way, as he felt the Redskins got “fair value” for Dunbar.
Dunbar was entering the final year of a three-year deal with the Redskins. He was set to receive a non-guaranteed $3.25 million in base salary.
Dunbar recently told Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn on SirusXM NFL Radio, he was looking to have his deal restructured for the final year and/or his 2020 salary guaranteed. He was coming off his best season since being converted from a wide receiver, but the Redskins were not willing to extend deals with players still under contract.
The Redskins signed Ronald Darby to a one-year deal worth $4 million after trading Dunbar. Darby has a lot to prove after injuries cut short each of his last three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. The DMV native’s willingness to join the Redskins fit right into the mold that Rivera and his staff is looking for in their first season.
