If Washington’s doing any negotiating today, it’s happening without the General Manager in the building.
According to Liz Clarke and Mike Jones of the Washington Post, G.M. Scot McCloughan was not at the team facility Tuesday when it became legal to contact free agents.
Team spokesman Tony Wyllie told the Post, “We’re busy with free agency,” but didn’t elaborate when asked where McCloughan was.
Team president Bruce Allen said last week that his G.M. would return “just as soon as things are handled,” after McCloughan skipped the Scouting Combine for the ostensible reason of a death in the family. McCloughan’s 100-year-old grandmother Marie McCloughan died Feb. 6.
This does little to curb the perception of dysfunction there. Perhaps Allen should pass out a few more contract extensions, since he’s apparently handling anything the team is doing this week.