Given the Washington Redskins’ history of coaches since Joe Gibbs, it’s surprising enough that Jay Gruden will begin his sixth season as coach next month. Until Gruden, no Redskins coach in this millennium lasted longer than four years.
The question now is not whether Gruden will go on to see a seventh year in the gig, but whether he’ll reach the end of his sixth.
Bookmaker.eu says Gruden has the best odds of being the first NFL coach handed a pink slip this season.
Gruden is the favorite at 3-to-1, followed by Pat Shurmur of the New York Giants at 7-to-1.
The betting website also gives Washington the fourth-best odds of finishing with the league’s worst record. The Miami Dolphins are far and away the favorite here at 5-to-2, followed by Arizona (11-to-2) and the Giants (8-to-1) before Washington comes in at 10-to-1.
Responding to a question in May about the Redskins possibly being featured on “Hard Knocks,” Gruden made a tongue-in-cheek comment about his job security, saying, “If we don’t make the playoffs, I probably won’t be here (next year) anyways.”
Gruden’s return was not a given after Washington went from a 6-3 start to a 7-9 finish last year, missing the postseason again amid brutal quarterback injuries. But several days after Week 17, the front office confirmed Gruden would return as coach. Meanwhile, a quarter of the league pressed “reset” and changed head coaches in the offseason.
This year, injuries or not, Gruden’s seat appears to be the hottest in the NFL.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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