Rivera: Washington 'not desperate' to find franchise quarterback

Although Ron Rivera says the Washington Football Team will explore all available options to find its next franchise quarterback, the head coach insists the franchise is "not desperate."

"We're going to continue to look. ... We still have time and we're going to continue to explore all the options that are out there," Rivera said Wednesday, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

He added: "We're looking to build a sustainable winning culture."

Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen remain holdovers at quarterback. Washington reportedly had interest in trading for Matthew Stafford before he landed with the Los Angeles Rams. The club also apparently tried acquiring Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota.

But despite Washington coming up empty-handed, Rivera wants his team to remain patient.

"You want to be able to say, 'This is our franchise quarterback,' but you don't know that until he starts playing," Rivera said, according to Sam Fortier of The Washington Post. He added Washington could have a quarterback competition ahead of the upcoming season.

The franchise holds the 19th pick in the upcoming NFL draft, while Mitchell Trubisky, Cam Newton, and Jameis Winston are potential free-agent options.

Washington will seek to remain atop the NFC East standings in 2021 after winning the division last season.

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