Mike Shanahan’s future with the Washington Redskins remains unclear, but it seems his son has made up his mind. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has decided he will stop working with his father beyond this season.
Kyle was the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans before joining his father in Washington in 2010. He recently told reporters he was “disappointed” in his father’s decision to bench Robert Griffin III and that he would rather roll with his franchise quarterback. If you assume Mike authorized Kyle to speak to the media about that issue, it’s probably safe to assume the elder Shanahan was setting the stage for the younger Shanahan to separate himself from his old man.
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed out, it may not be that simple. Daniel Snyder has reportedly been hesitant to fire Mike Shanahan and his staff because he does not want to pay for the remainder of their contracts. That would include Kyle’s.
In any event, the mess in Washington has obviously created an awkward dynamic. The burden of that ultimately falls on Mike, who is more toward the end of his coaching career. Whereas his son is still very young by NFL coaching standards, I’m sure Mike wants what’s best for Kyle. Getting out from under his father’s shadow should help.
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