There is a growing consensus around the league that believes that former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher is ready to make a return to the sidelines next fall, and while there have been several speculative reports with him potentially landing in Chicago, Carolina, and Washington, thus far Cowher isn’t talking.

But according to Redskins beat reporter Chris Russell, sources close to Cowher have indicated that he would not be interested at this point in working for Redskins owner Dan Snyder, taking Washington out of the mix for his services and increasing the likelihood of a deal to coach the Panthers in the future (H/T to Football News Now)

We previously discussed a Cowher to Carolina deal last month, breaking down a multitude of factors that could positively impact the Panthers chances of landing Cowher, if they decide to remove current head coach John Fox from his position. At the time, it seemed as though all the right things were falling into place for Cowher to make his come back with Carolina, but depending on what the Bears decide to do with Lovie Smith, Chicago could definitely make a strong push to get Cowher into the fold and running the show.

As always, we’ll keep you posted when more information breaks on this and the other stories we’re following.