The Washington Redskins are coming off a disappointing season and a very tough run with Mike Shanahan as head coach and now Dan Snyder must find a man to replace him and some of the top names include Bill Cowher, Art Briles, Jon Gruden his Brother Jay and Ken Whisenhunt as candidates.
Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher are names that always come up when head coaching jobs open up and while they have remained consistent in wanting to stay in their TV jobs, they have been and will continue to get mentioned as candidates, especially for this job, as Snyder could try and hire another high profile name. Shanahan was that name four years ago, but after losing 40 games and winning just 24 and dealing with issues involving Robert Griffin III and his relationship with Snyder, it was time to go. Apart from the seven game winning streak last season, Shanahan won only 17 games with the team and now he will be looking for another job as well.
It looked like Shanahan would be in Washington for years after he led the team to the playoffs and a division title in 2012, but that was short-lived and now Shanahan and his son are done in Washington and now Snyder could go for a name like Briles, who just lost the Fiesta Bowl for Baylor and he was the coach of Robert Griffin in college when he won the Heisman Trophy. The Redskins went 3-13 last season and finished behind even the Giants and now they have plenty of questions to consider going forward, including who they will draft after having to give their number two pick to the St. Louis Rams stemming from the Robert Griffin deal.
According to CBS Sports, Briles has not been contacted by the Redskins, but he said that he would be interested in other jobs and that he would listen to offers. The fact that Baylor lost to UCF could change his feelings towards staying with the Bears and the chance to coach RG3 again might be too good to pass up. Chip Kelly showed that a college coach can be successful in the NFL and the Houston Texans are trying that same move with the hiring of Bill O'Brien. Current assistants that could make for good options are Jay Gruden and Ken Whisenhunt, as Gruden has been a name that has long been mentioned as he has been working with the Bengals.
Shannon Sharpe said there is "zero" chance that Cowher leaves his job for an NFL one, but his name will continue to come up until the jobs are filled and according to some radio reports, Cowher has at least met with the Redskins about a possible move. Even though Cowher won't leave, it doesn't mean he can't take a meeting with a team and while he hasn't been in the game since 2006, he could change his mind down the line at some point.
