The environment in Washington D.C. is pretty tenuous right now, so it wouldn’t come as a shock if Mike Shanahan wasn’t the Redskins’ head coach come next season.
Shanahan, who is in his fourth season with the Redskins, is just 24-36 with one winning season (10-6 in 2012) in Washington. On the cusp of potentially his worst season in the nation’s capital, Shanahan doesn’t look like a long-term solution for the team, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post.
According to Maske’s report, Shanahan and the team are “likely” to part ways after this season, and team owner Dan Snyder might even attempt to withhold some of Shanahan’s $7 million salary from the 2014 season. Under usual circumstances, the team would be forced to pay Shanahan the remaining money on his deal after firing him. However, if they contend that they fired him for cause, then the team would no longer be on the hook for the hefty payday.
Washington’s reasoning behind such a move would likely stem from reports that Shanahan was “ready to quit” coaching the Redskins during the 2012 season, because of the relationship betweem Snyder and quarterback Robert Griffin III. Obviously, Shanahan didn’t quit, as he led Washington a home wild-card playoff game, and he would likely appeal any such action from the organization. The report also notes that the team may attempt to make the claim in order to create leverage and draw Shanahan into a settlement with the team.
The only other option would be for Shanahan to resign, which would work out great for Washington, who would then be off the hook for his entire salary, and that’s not entirely out of the question, especially if he was truly considering quitting last season.
Whatever the outcome, there is clearly some trouble in Washington right now, and parting ways appears to be the only resolution.
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