Cerrato jumps ship in Washington; Shanahan on his way?
8:00 pm – Apparently, Shanahan isn’t out of the running just yet for a job in Washington, at least not according to NFL.com’s Jason LaCanfera, who is still hearing whispers that he’ll be offered the head coach/team president position sooner or later.
11:30 am – It’s official. Allen is in as the Redskins new vice president and general manager. This will likely shut down any thoughts of a Shanahan-Washington marriage in the off-season, but it could open the door for ESPN Monday Night Football analyst and former Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden to enter the mix. Either way, this off-season is certainly shaping up to be a crazy one for Redskins fans.
8:45 am – According to FoxSports’ Jay Glazer, the Redskins are in currently discussing Cerrato’s vacated position with longtime NFL executive Bruce Allen, who has worked for both the Raiders and the Buccaneers. Allen is the son of NFL Hall of Fame coach George Allen, who was Washington’s head coach from 1971 to 1977.
How this affects a potential head coach hiring is not certain at this point, as there has been no word from the Redskins on what, if any, position Allen would hold within the organization. If he did sign on with the team, it would make things more difficult for Shanahan to come on board, as the two would likely have to share control of the franchise.
8:25 am – In a somewhat surprising move this morning, the Redskins have announced that longtime team executive Vinnie Cerrato has decided to step down from his position, paving the way for a potential hire of former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan this off-season.
Cerrato has been widely criticized for many of the moves made by the organization during his tenure in Washington, and given his role with the club in deciding player personnel, any move to bring in a seasoned head coach would have likely necessitated Cerrato’s departure first.
The Redskins released a statement from Cerrato on his resignation earlier this morning:
“We agreed that the franchise needs someone different in this position. I’m thankful to Dan Snyder and other members of his ownership team for the opportunities I’ve been given over the years. Of course, I am disappointed with this year’s results, but I strongly believe that with outstanding draft picks and encouraging performance by our younger players, we have laid a strong foundation for the franchise.”
– Former Washington executive vice president Vinnie Cerrato
For their part, the Redskins have not made public any overtures to Shanahan or any other head coaches for that matter. That said, current head coach Jim Zorn will almost assuredly be removed from his position once the season is complete, opening the door for owner Daniel Snyder to make a drastic move in an effort to bring his team back from the grave.
Shanahan has been fairly adamant over the years of wanting complete control over his team’s roster, and while there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome for him to take charge in Washington, there is little doubt that Cerrato’s resignation clears the way somewhat for a marriage between Snyder and Shanahan to take place in the near future.
As always, we’ll be here to bring you all the latest news on this story as it breaks.
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