Head Coach Jay Gruden Extended For Two Years By Washington Redskins

According to sources, the Washington Redskins have agreed to add two more years onto the contract of head coach Jay Gruden. This is a huge move for the franchise.

Heading into the 2017 offseason, there were a lot of questions about the future of the Washington Redskins franchise. The future of quarterback Kirk Cousins is uncertain, and many of their key receivers are hitting the free agent market. General manager Scot McCloughan was not at the NFL Combine due to family matters.

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In addition to that, head coach Jay Gruden was entering what was largely considered to be a lame duck year. With a couple of seasons left on his contract, many wondered if Gruden would end up getting an extension prior to the season. He had relative success leading the Redskins to consecutive winning seasons, but some also wondered if he was on the hot seat. Many questioned whether or not the Redskins were committed to him long term.

Well, that question has been answered. Now, it appears that the Redskins are giving Gruden a vote of confidence. According to reports, team owner Daniel Snyder has elected to add two years to Gruden’s contract. This will keep Gruden under contract through 2020. ESPN’s John Keim said the following of the situation:

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"Gruden’s presence provides a level of stability within the organization. In his first three seasons, Washington went 21-26-1. However, it’s gone 17-14-1 the last two years combined, with an NFC East title in 2015. It’s the first time Washington has posted consecutive winning seasons since 1996-97."

That factor of stability cannot be ignored. The team needed a man to be in charge, especially with the uncertain nature of the status of both McCloughan and Cousins. Gruden will provide the team with that, and he really has proven to be a satisfactory head coach.

Still, Gruden has to make sure that he can improve the team. Namely, the defensive struggles that the team endured have to be fixed. Hopefully promoting Greg Manusky will help solve those issues and that may allow Gruden to focus more on the offense. Regardless, the extension should buy Gruden at least a year or two to turn the Redskins into a real Super Bowl contender.

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At the end of the day, this is a solid and necessary move by the Redskins organization. They needed someone to really take charge of the team for the coming season. That responsibility fell on Gruden, and he was rightfully rewarded for the success he has had in the past couple of years.

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