Redskins fire Shanahan
Mike Shanahan was fired Monday after four seasons as head coach of the Washington Redskins.
Owner Daniel Snyder is in the market for a head coach for the eighth time since 2000.
"Redskins fans deserve a better result," Snyder said in a press release. "We thank Mike for his efforts on behalf of the Redskins. We will focus on what it takes to build a winning team, and my pledge to this organization and to this community is to continue to commit the resources and talent necessary to put this team back in the playoffs."
Shanahan, 24-40 as head coach in Washington, limped to the finish line with a 3-13 season and franchise-worst eight-game losing streak.
The coach, owed $7 million for 2014, the final year of his contract, said last week he expected prompt resolution to his status. Within 35 minutes of his arrival at Redskins Park on Monday, he and his coaching staff had been fired.
"We are going to take a smart, step-by-step approach to finding the right coach to return the Redskins to where we believe we should be," Executive Vice President/General Manager Bruce Allen said. "We will analyze accurately and honestly all of the decisions that were made over the past year."
Shanahan made a case for his return publicly, but his relationship with Snyder was well beyond strained. He said two weeks ago, when announcing Robert Griffin III would be shut down for the final three games, that he wanted to come back next season. That went against reports that claimed Shanahan wanted to resign following the playoff loss last January to the Seattle Seahakws in which Griffin tore knee ligaments.
Framing an airing of grievances of sorts, Shanahan said last week that Monday's sitdown with Snyder and would be for sharing his opinion of what is working and what isn't and getting similar feedback from the owner. Based on the prompt decision, there was little conversation.
Shanahan's son, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, is thought to be a key reason Snyder seeks another coaching change. The junior Shanahan was visibly upset and remarked that he was left out of dialogue about sitting Griffin, a move he openly disagreed with while allowing it wasn't his call to make.
"I've told you from day one, I love these guys," Shanahan said last week. "We've been working extremely hard to put this thing together. We've had a couple of bumps, which we all know, with the salary cap (penalty). But I'm looking forward to building this team. Like I said, I'll get the chance to sit down with Dan at the end of the season and we'll go from there."
According to the Washington Post, Snyder is not willing to buy out the remainder of Mike Shanahan's contract. The $7 million salary next season is the end of the five-year, $35 million deal signed in 2009. Shanahan won two Super Bowl rings as head coach of the Denver Broncos.
He replaced Jim Zorn as head coach and is the seventh hired since Snyder purchased the team in 1999.
