Washington made it official on Tuesday morning, announcing Jennifer King has been promoted to assistant running backs coach.
She is the first Black woman to serve as a full-time assistant coach in the NFL. King spent the 2020 season as a coaching intern for Washington.
“Coach King is well deserving of the promotion to assistant running backs coach. She came to Washington eager for the opportunity to work as a full-year coaching intern and learn from our staff,” Washington head coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. “She got the chance to experience not only the in-season work that goes into being a full-time coach in this league but also the countless hours that are spent preparing in the offseason as well. She demonstrated all of the qualities that are needed to work full-time on my staff. She is a hard worker, a great communicator and a quality person.
“Coach King is always eager to learn and has shown tremendous growth since starting here last season. I know she will continue to be an asset to [offensive coordinator Scott] Turner, [running backs coach Randy] Jordan and the running back group, and she earned this opportunity with her hard work. The sky is truly the limit for her.”
King first worked under Rivera as an intern wide receivers coach for the Panthers in 2018, and was an intern running backs coach in 2019. She also served as an offensive assistant coach for Dartmouth College in 2019, primarily working with wide receivers.
Additionally, King was on the Arizona Hotshots coaching staff in the Alliance of American Football in 2019. She was the team’s assistant wide receivers coach and special teams assistant.
King is the second woman to become a full-time assistant coach in the NFL, following Buccaneers’ assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust.