It's Official: Bruce Allen To Replace Vinny Cerrato As VP Of Football Operations, Is Jon Gruden Next?

The Washington Redskins sent out a press release confirming the hiring of Bruce Allen as the team’s new Vice President of Football Operations. Allen, the son of legendary Redskins coach George Allen, replaces Vinny Cerrato.

Via Redskins Insider:

“Bruce Allen is the personification of an NFL winner,” owner Dan Snyder said in a statement released by the club. “Our fans know his heritage; we know his abilities. He is the right person to lead our club.”

In typical Redskins fashion, though, the decision was not made conventionally, to say the least. According to the same report, very few members of the organization knew anything about the decision to hire Allen until it happened.

But both Cerrato’s resignation and Allen’s hiring were done with the knowledge of only a few in the organization. Even in the moments after Allen was announced, members of the coaching staff said they had been “told nothing” and were unsure of what was next.

Meanwhile, there’s speculation that Jon Gruden, the current ESPN broadcaster, is on his way. Allen worked extensively with Gruden in Oakland and Tampa Bay, and there’s no doubt that current coach Jim Zorn is on the hot seat.

Allen’s tight ties with Gruden — who served as his coach in both Oakland and Tampa Bay — will no doubt lead to speculation that Gruden could succeed Zorn after this season. Last month, though, Gruden signed a multi-year deal to remain as an analyst on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”

It’s not clear what hurdles Gruden would have to jump through to get out of his ESPN contract and return to coaching. A network spokesman declined to comment on Gruden’s contract terms.

“We expect to have Jon on ‘Monday Night Football’ for many years with the long-term commitment he has made to ESPN,” spokesman Bill Hofheimer said.