Redskins in negotiations with former 49ers GM Scot McCloughan (updated)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/redskins-in-negotiations-with-former-49ers-gm-scot-mccloughan/2015/01/06/b21c385e-3ddf-43b0-b6a4-08b9112f02af_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

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Updated, 3:40 p.m.

The Washington Redskins are in negotiations on a major front-office move that would bring Scot McCloughan, one of the league’s top talent evaluators, on board as general manager, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed.

No deal has been reached, but the talks were believed to be in the advanced stages.

One person familiar with the Redskins’ planning said the team is negotiating with McCloughan to be its GM and it is expected he will end up with the job. The person called McCloughan a “great talent evaluator.”

Another person familiar with the deliberations said earlier in the day that no deal between McCloughan (pronounced Mc-CLUE-in) and the Redskins was completed and McCloughan had not received a formal offer.

The hiring of McCloughan, a former executive with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, would signal a reshuffling of a front office that has long underperformed in the evaluation of draft and free agent talent. If the deal is reached, Bruce Allen would retain the title of team president, which he received last offseason following the firing of Mike Shanahan, and McCloughan would work under him.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the power and decision-making would be divided, but McCloughan reportedly would have full control of player personnel decisions.

Two people with knowledge of the situation insisted that the Redskins and McCloughan’s camp do not have a deal in place, and that an official offer had yet to be extended.

According to league rules, the Redskins must satisfy the Rooney Rule (if they have not yet already) and interview a minority candidate for the general manager position before extending an offer to McCloughan.

McCloughan, whose forte is college scouting, worked in the 49ers front office from 2005 to 2010. He left abruptly in 2010 for personal reasons, which included his reported battle with alcoholism.

He worked for the Seahawks from 2012 to 2014 before abruptly resigning. Last season, McCloughan ran his own private scouting business, and the Redskins ranked among his clients. While in San Francisco and Seattle, McCloughan was credited with drafting Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Patrick Willis, Michael Crabtree (all in San Francisco) and Seahawks Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman, among others.

E-mail a Redskins question to mike.jones@washpost.com, with the subject “Mailbag question,” and it might be answered Tuesday in the Mailbag.