LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - Long before the Washington Football Team's new general manager Martin Mayhew was working in the front office, he was a Washington defensive back who called his shot as a future GM.
"I remember in 1990 when I first got to Washington, he would sit there and tell us how he was gonna become a general manager," former Washington running back Brian Mitchell said. "Martin Mayhew thought he was gonna be here. We didn’t think like that at that moment, but he had that thought process and it all came together for him."
"This is my dream job," Mayhew, who was an NFL DB for nine seasons, said. "I’ve wanted this job for a long time. Having this job now and having this opportunity is truly special. I want to make it special not only for our fans, for our players, for our ownership, for everybody.
"I just have great respect for the history of this organization. I think we can get back there [to success]. That’s what the goal is, to get back to being at the very top."
Mayhew was on Washington's roster the last time they were at the very top, as part of the 1991-92 roster when Washington defeated the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI by a score of 37-24.
"Some of the best football I’ve ever been around was here. I was actually in this building my last year here in 1992, but just incredible memories of the experiences I had in this area," Mayhew said. "Two of my kids were actually born here. I met my wife here. This franchise has just really been an important part of my life."
Mayhew's life experience has vastly expanded since his last stint in Washington and he returns with a wealth of front office background, which includes being the Lions' GM from 2008-15. He then went on to work in the Giants and 49ers front offices, before returning to Washington to fill the GM role that remained vacant during the 2020 season.
Head coach Ron Rivera certainly could have used his help last season, because aside from battling cancer, Rivera would be interrupted while running practice, handling media duties or watching film with questions like: "Coach we have to take a look at this, hey coach let's do this, hey coach let's go through the roster, coach we gotta go through who the actives are gonna be," Rivera said. "So now all of a sudden I'm in the middle of trying to watch the team, but now I'm trying to do the other parts of it that are for the team.
"What we needed to do was bring an extra set of eyes in to my benefit, to this organization's benefit."
