Commanders hiring Lions senior director of player personnel Lance Newmark as assistant GM

The Commanders are further shuffling up the front office in their first full offseason under owner Josh Harris.

Washington hired Lions senior director of player personnel Lance Newmark as its new assistant general manager, the team announced on Wednesday. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport first reported the news.

Martin Mayhew, who served as Washington’s GM from 2021-2023, will be transitioning to the role of senior personnel executive/advisor to the team’s new GM, Adam Peters, while executive vice president of football/player personnel Marty Hurney is moving to an advisory role that will support football operations.

“I could not be more excited about joining the Washington Commanders organization,” Newmark said in a statement on Wednesday. “I have tremendous respect for Adam, and believe strongly in him, and in his vision for this franchise. I cannot wait to join Adam, Coach Quinn, and the rest of the organization this week in the DMV. It was very clear in this process that Josh Harris is extremely committed to running a first class organization and building a championship caliber football team, which made this opportunity very special. His passion for returning this franchise to greatness is clear. I will always be thankful for my time in Detroit and cannot say enough good things about the Lions organization. I sincerely appreciate them allowing me to pursue this exciting opportunity in Washington.”

The front office restructuring is the latest change in an effort to get Washington back to its winning ways.

On Jan. 8, the Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera following a 26-40-1 record in four seasons, plus one playoff appearance.

Four days later, they lured the Peters, then the assistant GM for the 49ers, to the nation’s capital. His staff, both coaching-wise with new HC Dan Quinn and within the front office, has come together over the last month.

Newmark served in Detroit’s player personnel department for the past 26 years. He spent the last two as senior director of player personnel after a promotion from director of player personnel.

His rise to that position has coincided with the Lions’ rise to NFC contender, with Detroit riding a hot finish to a 9-8 record and a narrow playoff miss in 2022 before reaching the NFC Championship Game with a 12-5 regular-season record in 2023.

Heading into the 2024 season, Washington will now employ a new representative from each of the NFC’s final two teams standing at the top of its front office, while Mayhew and Hurney will both be available to serve as valuable bridges from one era to the next.

The brain trust’s most pivotal decision to kick off that new era will be pinpointing what to do with the No. 2 overall pick in April’s upcoming draft, whether that’s trading out, finding a way to trade up with the Chicago Bears to No. 1 or standing pat and finding a potential face of the franchise.