Some league insiders believe that free-agent coach Mike Shanahan would like to get another suitor to the table in order to drive up his leverage with the Redskins.
But even if he can’t shake any other team out of the bushes, we’re told that Shanahan will still make more than $50 million under the deal that the Redskins have ready for Shanahan’s signature.
We assume it’s a five-year contract, with an average salary in excess of $10 million per year.
It remains to be seen whether and to what extent Shanahan will keep any of the $7 million he’s due to be paid in 2010 and 2011 by the Broncos. One league source recently told us that the Broncos might not be entitled to a full dollar-for-dollar offset, which means that Shanahan would keep some of the money from the Broncos, along with the $10 million from the Redskins.
The Redskins deal, if ultimately accepted by Shanahan, will make him the highest-paid coach in NFL history. Former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren received an average salary in the range of $7.5 million to $8.5 million in his final years in Seattle.
