Washington hasn’t had a General Manager since clumsily firing Scout McCloughan in March. It’s still not clear when, or if, the franchise will be replacing him.
Whatever Washington ultimately does, it’s doing it with zero transparency. Apart from team president Bruce Allen declaring last week that the team is “getting close to having a final plan,” there has been no indication as to whether or when a decision will be made.
If they’re looking for a new G.M., they’re not casting a broad net. There have been no reports of interviews of persons under contract with other teams, something that inevitably leaks to the media (often to the media owned by the league) once the league office receives the forms in which the request for permission to interview the candidate is made.
It remains possible that Washington won’t be hiring a true G.M., with Allen or someone else holding final say over the roster. That would allow any other team to deny a request to interview an executive currently under contract.
Some league insiders believe that the title ultimately will be given to an in-house candidate, with Eric Schaffer regarded as the clubhouse leader. Whatever Washington does, compliance with the Rooney Rule will be required. And while that may provide some transparency, the team needs only to interview an in-house minority candidate to comply.