LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - Former Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden makes it clear that he's not a fan of Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder's role in the draft process.
After praising Washington's former VP of player personnel Kyle Smith, who was hired to fill the same role for the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, Gruden told the Washington Post that after coaches and the front office evaluated draft picks, Snyder "would come in off his yacht and make the pick.”
Washington released Gruden of his coaching duties in October of 2019.
Gruden is the only head coach in the Daniel Snyder era to receive a contract extension. In March 2017, Gruden signed a two-year contract extension that was expected to take him through the 2020 season.
Hired as the 29th bench boss in franchise history on January 9, 2014, Gruden went 35-49-and-1 (including playoffs) as Redskins head coach, including a 7-and-9 record in 2018 – a campaign during which his team lost six of its final seven games to endure back-to-back losing seasons.
Under Gruden, the Redskins won at least seven games in four straight seasons for the first time since a four-year streak from 1999-2002.
