ASHBURN — Coach Jay Gruden took the podium Monday for his year-end press conference. But that wasn’t an official indication he’ll be returning for 2019.
Gruden said he has yet to meet with owner Daniel Snyder to discuss his future. Multiple reports have indicated Gruden is expected to return, but the coach did not confirm his status for next season.
“I haven’t had any talks yet,” Gruden said. “I have no idea when they’ll take place, but I know they will take place. So I got to wait and see what happens. It’s a tough business. A lot of good coaches been let go already. And there will be a lot more I’m sure here in the next couple of days or weeks or what have you.
“Moving forward, if I’m fortunate enough to be here, I feel really good about the nucleus of players that we have.”
Gruden is 35-44-1 all-time as coach of the Redskins through five seasons. He has two years left on his contract.
The Redskins ended their season Sunday with a 24-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing the year at 7-9.
Under Gruden, the Redskins have made the playoffs just once, missing them in three consecutive years.
This season, Gruden had to adapt to a plethora of injuries with 24 players ending the year on injured reserve — including quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colt McCoy.
“We do have to adjust some things without a doubt,” Gruden said. “When you’re 7-9, whether you have injuries or not, it’s not good enough for this franchise. I know Mr. Snyder demands greatness from his staff and his players and we didn’t deliver this year. So we have to figure out ways to get better from a coaching staff standpoint first and then from a players’ standpoint.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.