Dan Snyder - Pro Football Rumors

Redskins’ Bruce Allen On The Hot Seat?

November 30th, 2019 at 9:22am CST by Ben Levine

The Redskins organization has seen plenty of turnover in recent years, but one consistent has been Bruce Allen. Could the team president suddenly be on the hot seat? Mike Garafolo of NFL Network seems to think so. Appearing on Good Morning Football, Garafolo said that everything is up for evaluation in Washington this offseason, and that includes Allen’s role with the organization (Twitter link).

The reporter adds that the team has hit “rock bottom right now,” and owner Dan Snyder understands that something drastic needs to happen. Further, Garafolo opined that “for the first time, i’m really feeling like they are evaluating Bruce Allen’s role with the team going forward.” For what it’s worth, Garafolo also added the caveat that Allen’s job could be safe should the Redskins and rookie Dwayne Haskins show up down the stretch.

George Allen had coached the Redskins to their first Super Bowl appearance back in the 1970s, making his son Bruce a popular pick when he was hired as the organization’s general manager in late 2009. The executive has seen a number of title changes during his tenure with the Redskins, including his promotion to team president in 2014. Allen had previously served as general manager of the Buccaneers.

While Allen has continually had the trust of Snyder, he’s struggled to field a competitive team. The Redskins are 44-79 during his time with the organization, and the Redskins only has a single playoff appearance during that span. The front office is now searching for the third head coach of Allen’s tenure after he fired Jay Gruden earlier this season (Bill Callahan is currently serving as the interim head coach). Mike Shanhan had served as head coach/executive vice president from 2010 to 2013.

Trent Williams Discusses NFI, Future

November 16th, 2019 at 9:58am CST by Ben Levine

Earlier this month, the Redskins placed offensive lineman Trent Williams on the NFI list, ending his season. This set off a chain of events: Williams blasted the team and said there was no hope of reconciliation, and we later learned that Washington wouldn’t be paying the left tackle any of his 2019 salary.

This obviously isn’t the end of the story. The organization’s decision to place Williams on the NFI and withhold his money will likely have repercussions. Williams previously declined to say whether he’d be filing a grievance through the NFLPA to recoup some of his money, but he also didn’t sound confident about his chances. The veteran’s argument would revolve around the fact that he ended his holdout and reported to the team, but he was unable to wear his helmet because of pain stemming from surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his head. As our own Andrew Ortenberg pointed out, Williams could argue that since Washington’s medical staff failed to advise him to remove the growth on his head earlier, they are at fault.

Regardless, Williams won’t see the field again this season, and in an interview with Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic, the lineman discussed how he’s spending his free time as a boxing manager. While the entire interview into Williams’ passion for boxing is worth a read, we’ve highlighted some of his NFL-related soundbites below.

On owner Dan Snyder’s role regarding Williams’ placement on the NFI list:

“Obviously, no matter what I said or how I felt about him, just speaking out against the organization and kind of putting people on notice about how things are going around there. I don’t think he was particularly happy with that, which led to them putting me on the NFI list prematurely and choosing not to pay me. Of course, he had a leg in that. It is what it is, at this point, it’s over with. I’ll never be a Redskin again, so I don’t have to worry about it.”

On his current focus and his plans for the 2020 season:

“Uh, yeah, pretty much just seeing where I’m going to be at, getting a fresh start, and being able to lace my cleats up and get back on the football field. That’s just what I look forward to. A nice little break, it’s what my body needed, but in my mind, I’m ready to get back.”

On if he has any preferences regarding a new team:

“Haha, nah, cause you know, I’ve got a lot of former coaches around the league that I was very close to in other organizations now. I feel like I can plug and play into another system. But no, I haven’t even, after the Super Bowl you’ll kinda know who needs what and where possible destinations are.”

On his teammates’ reactions to his holdout, public comments about the organization, and placement on the NFI list:

“My teammates have been awesome. Honestly, sometimes I forget what situation I was in just being around those guys in the locker room. They didn’t treat me any different, and everybody was really happy to see me. Actually, coming in was a joy in that sense, because the reception I got was really overwhelming. I was kind of taken aback. I knew they had my back, you know, but it’s different to kind of know it and it’s different to feel it. There, I could feel it.”

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Interested In Owning NFL Team

November 10th, 2019 at 2:47pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The CEO and founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is interested in purchasing an NFL team, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. While Bezos is most associated with Amazon, the mogul also recently purchased the Washington Post. The multi-billionaire is one of the richest people in the world and would not have trouble finding the capital necessary to buy an NFL franchise.

According to La Canfora’s report, Bezos has built close relationships with a number of current owners and watched last year’s Super Bowl in commissioner Roger Goodell’s suite. Considering all new owners need to receive approval from current ownership groups, it bodes well for his chances if he has allies in the league.

Bezos has become especially close with Washington’s owner Dan Snyder. His relationship with Snyder coincides with his own move to Washington, where Snyder remains a polarizing figure. Snyder, of course, has been trying to build a new stadium in downtown D.C. and given Bezos’ expanded role in the area, the two could team up on the project.

While no teams are currently up for sale, La Canfora speculates the Seahawks and Broncos as two that could be headed to the market soon. Bezos has been based in Seattle for many years, making the Seahawks a prime target.

Latest on Dwayne Haskins, Redskins’ Coaching Staff

September 29th, 2019 at 8:29am CST by Rory Parks

There was some chatter Saturday suggesting that Redskins head coach Jay Gruden could be coaching for his job against the Giants this afternoon, but Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports that no Washington coaches were informed by team execs or ownership that they will be fired if they lose against New York today (Twitter link). That may or may not mean anything, but since Gruden’s seat gets hotter by the day, these types of reports are worth monitoring.

However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports confirms that the relationship between the coaching staff and the front office, headed by team president Bruce Allen, has become untenable. And differences in opinion over roster construction are just the beginning. Per La Canfora, the organization wants Gruden to part ways with defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, but Gruden refuses to consider any changes to his staff.

But it seems inevitable that Gruden, at least, will be looking for a new job in 2020. Manusky will likely be gone too, but La Canfora says team brass is high on first-year OC Kevin O’Connell, so he may stick around. If Gruden were to fired be mid-season, offensive line coach Bill Callahan may serve as the team’s interim HC. Gruden, meanwhile, may join his brother Jon’s staff with the Raiders.

As we have been hearing, another source of contention between the Redskins’ coaching staff and front office/ownership is rookie QB Dwayne Haskins. La Canfora writes in a separate piece that many members of the coaching staff — including Gruden — and people close to Haskins believe that it would be best for the Ohio State product to redshirt his entire rookie year, especially given the state of Washington’s O-line and the club’s general dearth of offensive talent. But owner Dan Snyder may be inclined to throw Haskins into the fire sooner rather than later, while Gruden views playing Haskins as a last resort. Although Gruden’s fate with the Redskins is likely sealed, the disagreement between him and Snyder over Haskins may hasten his departure.

As for today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Case Keenum will get the start, and Haskins will be his backup. Colt McCoy, who recently returned to practice, will be inactive, though the Redskins did consider dressing all three signal-callers. Despite Gruden’s reservations about playing Haskins, Rapoport hears that if Keenum should struggle against the Giants’ defense, Gruden may feel compelled to send in his rookie signal-caller (video link).

Redskins Notes: Gruden, Snyder, Allen

September 28th, 2019 at 3:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Entering their third NFC East game this season, the Redskins are 0-3 and may be close to a regime change. Jay Gruden entered this season atop Las Vegas “first coach fired” lists, raising the stakes of Washington’s game against the Giants. Case Keenum is in line to start again, but Mike Jones of USA Today notes Dan Snyder would “love” to see Dwayne Haskins make his debut. Gruden and his staff do not yet view the rookie quarterback as ready to play. This marks the latest disagreement between the staff and ownership on Haskins.

Snyder pushed for the Redskins to draft Haskins at No. 15 overall, while Gruden wanted the team to address one of its other key needs with the pick, Jones adds. A report circulated in April that Snyder and team president Bruce Allen preferred Haskins while others in the building backed a Daniel Jones pick — though, that turned out to be moot since the Giants stunned most draft observers by nabbing Jones at No. 6 — but it appears the sixth-year Redskins coach would have been fine not taking a quarterback at all.

Here is the latest from Washington:

This was not the first disagreement Gruden had with Redskins higher-ups regarding signal-callers. Gruden wanted Kirk Cousins to be retained, but Allen was not on board, Jones notes. Allen and Cousins had a notable falling out, from his “Kurt” references to the ongoing contract negotiations not meeting the former Washington passer’s expectations. These issues have prompted some around the league to question whether the Redskins will ever build a perennial contender while Snyder and Allen are running things, per Jones.
Gruden is the NFL’s lone active coach with at least five seasons’ experience to not post a 10-win season with his franchise. He’s also the only one to fail to guide his team to a playoff win. With the again-injury-stricken Redskins coming off a double-digit loss on national television, Les Carpenter of the Washington Post notes Gruden may be coaching for his job against the Giants. Washington has gone 35-47 under Gruden. Since Alex Smith‘s gruesome 2018 injury, which occurred while the team was in first place in the NFC East, the Redskins are 1-8. Washington has former 49ers HC Jim Tomsula on staff, as defensive line coach, in the event an in-season promotion becomes necessary.
Blossoming rookie wideout Terry McLaurin appeared on Washington’s injury report late this week. He will join Brandon Scherff in being a game-time decision Sunday.

Extra Points: Redskins, Supplemental Draft, Jets

June 29th, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Redskins are going to be one of the more interesting teams to monitor during training camp. They have a bunch of interesting storylines, none bigger than the battle between rookie Dwayne Haskins and Case Keenum to be the team’s starting quarterback. Speaking to Steve Wyche of NFL Network recently, Redskins GM Doug Williams indicated that the front office and even ownership would play a role in determining when Haskins starts (Twitter link).

Williams specifically indicated the decision would not be head coach Jay Gruden’s alone, saying that he, Gruden, team president Bruce Allen, and owner Dan Snyder would come together to make a decision. That news is sure to rile up Redskins fans, who have mixed feelings on Snyder, to put it nicely. Williams said he was excited about Haskins’ development, but made sure to emphasize they wouldn’t just throw him out there if he wasn’t ready. That’s the language any team is going to speak, and the part about it being a collaborative process is the real eyebrow-raiser here. Gruden appears to be coaching for his job this season, and Washington won’t be able to keep Haskins on the bench too long unless Keenum looks lights out during the preseason.

Here’s a couple of other notes from around the league on a slow Saturday evening:

The supplemental draft got a lot more interesting earlier today when Washington State safety Jalen Thompson announced he’d be entering. The three previous players to enter July’s supplemental draft weren’t too noteworthy, but Thompson is intriguing. Thompson seems like a near-lock to get drafted, and Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com tweets that scouts had given him a 3rd/4th round grade prior to last season. Pauline also notes that the three-year starter has scheduled a July 8th workout for NFL teams in Los Angeles. It’ll likely be heavily attended. While we don’t have the full details yet on why Thompson was ruled ineligible for the 2019 NCAA season and had to declare, Washington State did issue a statement, per Jessamyn McIntyre (Twitter link). In their statement, the Cougars simply said he lost his final season of eligibility “due to a violation of NCAA rules.”
The Jets took a gamble by drafting defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd in the third round last year, and so far it hasn’t paid off. Shepherd played at small-school Fort Hays State so he was a bit hard to scout, but the team banked on his upside when they took him 72nd overall. Shepherd played around 30 percent of the team’s defensive snaps as a rookie, but didn’t play particularly well and appears to be falling out of favor with the new coaching staff. While breaking down the team’s depth chart, Matt Stypulkoski of NJ.com writes that Shepherd’s stock has gone down so far this offseason, saying it “sure seems like it only took one season for Shepherd to turn into something of a forgotten man,” and adding that he “hasn’t proven enough.” There’s still a long way to go, so Shepherd could always find himself back in favor with Adam Gase, but right now things aren’t looking great.
In case you missed it, the Chiefs could reopen extension talks with Tyreek Hill now that it looks like he’ll emerge from the league’s investigation relatively cleanly.

Latest On Redskins’ First Round Plans

April 24th, 2019 at 4:34pm CST by Rory Parks

There has been plenty of chatter suggesting that the Redskins want to trade up from their No. 15 overall pick in order to better position themselves to (presumably) nab one of this year’s top collegiate passers. Earlier today, we heard yet again that Washington is contemplating a move into the Top 5, and while there was no definitive report as to the club’s hypothetical trade partner, the Jets — who hold the No. 3 overall pick — are allegedly determined to trade down.

Adding more fuel to that fire are several tweets suggesting that Redskins owner Dan Snyder is perhaps even more involved than usual in his club’s first-round selection. Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan hears from a team source that Snyder has “taken over the first round of the draft,” and the last time that happened, Washington surrendered a king’s ransom of draft picks to acquire the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 draft, which it used on Robert Griffin III (Twitter link).

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network has a similar report, and he indicates that Snyder “absolutely” has influence on the Redskins’ draft, while team president Bruce Allen also has an important role. On the other hand, senior VP of player personnel Doug Williams has limited input on the team’s picks, and head coach Jay Gruden has even less (Twitter link).

That in and of itself doesn’t mean much, but when put in the context of the RGIII trade, it could serve as a harbinger of things to come tomorrow night (plus, Garafolo’s report obviously doesn’t offer an optimistic view on Gruden’s long-term future with the club, which is an interesting sidenote). However, Mike Jones of USA Today tweets that the Redskins do not feel they can part with their early picks, and if they want to jump all the way up to No. 3, they will have to essentially empty their cupboard of early picks. Jones does note, though, that it’s lying season, so the Redskins’ reported reluctance to part with prime draft capital could be a smokescreen.

For what it’s worth, Paulsen says that Redskins spokesman Tony Wyllie categorically denied the notion that Snyder has taken control of the team’s first-round pick, but it’s his job to quash these kinds of rumors, regardless of their veracity. And regardless of Snyder’s influence on the draft, the Redskins have firmly established themselves as one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye over the next 24 hours or so.

Latest On Roger Goodell

November 26th, 2017 at 2:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Roger Goodell saga has dominated headlines for months, but we could be inching closer to a resolution. There is a “strong sentiment” among owners to get the matter fully resolved ahead of NFL’s owners meeting on Dec. 13, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. That group of determined owners includes some of those who serve on the league’s six-man Compensation Committee.

Recently, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that he expects the matter to be discussed at the December meeting. Although Jones wields considerable influence and the meeting is being held in his backyard, it’s not his call to make since the league’s full ownership group already voted to authorize the Compensation Committee to complete a deal months ago. With that in mind, owners looking to put a bow on Goodell’s negotiations (presumably resulting in a new multi-year deal for the commissioner) believe things can be taken care of in New York this week with a portion of the NFL’s owners on hand for committee meetings.

The committee meetings take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, so Goodell could have a new contract in hand shortly. La Canfora hears that Falcons owner Arthur Blank is particularly driven to get things squared away.

“It could happen really fast after the committee meetings,” one ownership source told La Canfora, adding that Blank is expected to “allow for more dialogue with any owners” – beyond Jones and (Redskins owner) Dan Snyder – who have “issues” with the proposed deal.

A new deal for Goodell could be worth as much as $200MM.

Organization May Side With Robert Griffin III

December 6th, 2014 at 7:17pm CST by Rob DiRe

The rift between Washington head coach Jay Gruden and franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III has been widely reported on. Since Gruden benched Griffin in favor of Colt McCoy, speculation about the former first-round pick’s future has taken him down many paths.

If the choice is left to Gruden, Griffin may very well be on his way out in Washington. Lucky for Griffin, it may not be Gruden’s choice. The leaders in the organization including owner Dan Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen may be leaning to towards siding with Griffin over Gruden, given the choice, writes Jason Reid of the Washington Post.

The leadership group has not given up on their young quarterback, but Gruden seems to be committed to moving on from the embattled 24-year old passer. In Reid’s report, he writes that if Allen and Snyder decide the team will continue with Griffin as the starter, that Gruden could be fired after one year. That would leave the team responsible for the final four years of his five-year guaranteed deal, on top of hiring a new coach and starting over again 2015.

Allen is in a tough position with this decision, as he was the general manager to oversee both the trade to acquire Griffin in 2012. On the other hand, Allen also hired Gruden, and in a way, his legacy with Washington is tied to the success of both. Firing Gruden after one year would reflect poorly on him, but trading Griffin for pennies after giving up so much to move up and take him three years ago would be damning as well. Of course, the best way for Allen to protect his job is if either way, the decision he has to make this offseason lead to a winning season in 2015 and going forward.

Poll: Most Intriguing NFL Storyline?

June 27th, 2014 at 6:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Minicamps have wrapped up around the NFL and there’s a bit of a lull prior to training camp. Nevertheless, there are still a number of intriguing stories to focus on.

There’s the Jimmy Graham–Saints standoff, where the two sides are haggling over the player’s position. The Saints slapped the franchise tag on Graham as a tight end, thus assuring him a $7.035MM contract. Considering Graham’s production at the position, the player’s side wanted him designated as a wideout. The difference in salary is significant – Graham would receive $12.312MM as a receiver. A resolution is expected sometime next week.

On the morning after the NBA Draft, Cleveland’s focus isn’t as much on number-one pick Andrew Wiggins. Instead, all eyes are on Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel. The former Heisman winner has been stealing headlines for his off-the-field antics, leading some to question whether he can lead the team to their first playoff appearance since 2002. Manziel addressed his critics earlier today, claiming he wasn’t going to change for anybody.

Wide receiver Andre Johnson remains on the Texans roster, even after he expressed his frustration with the team and skipped the mandatory minicamp. It appears that Johnson wants out of Houston, but plenty of obstacles stand in his way. The wideout has three years remaining on his contract and the team doesn’t seem in any rush to trade their disgruntled star.

Or maybe you’re most interested in the saga surrounding the Redskins. The organization recently lost the trademark on the team’s name, with the U.S. Patent Office declaring that the word is “disparaging to Native Americans” and can’t be trademarked under federal law. However, owner Dan Snyder has not relented on his support for the name.

What do you think is the most intriguing NFL storyline at the end of minicamp? Is there something we forgot? Let us know in the comments.