Scot McCloughan hired as Washington's new general manager

Washington has reached an agreement to hire Scot McCloughan as the team's new general manager, as first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal is for four years and McCloughan will report to president Bruce Allen in Washington's new front office structure, per NFL Media's Albert Breer.

Allen has been acting as Washington's president and general manager since 2010. If McCloughan's hiring reduces Allen's role in the front office, Allen may not be opposed to the idea. Last week, Allen told reporters that "if we can find a winning formula that's going to help this team win on the football field, we'll absolutely do it, and that includes me" when asked if someone else would be brought in to oversee Washington's football operations (via Rich Tandler).

McCloughan will join Washington with a strong track record of evaluating talent. He joined the Seattle Seahawks as a top aide to GM John Schneider in 2010, and helped build a Super Bowl-winning roster before leaving the franchise ahead of the 2014 NFL Draft. Before that, he was the GM of the San Francisco 49ers. McCloughan left the organization one year before Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach and led the team to the NFC Championship game in his first season.

During his time off from the NFL, McCloughan maintained an independent scouting service.

McCloughan will inherit a franchise coming off a four-win season. If McCloughan can live up to his reputation, his hire should help Washington compete in what will be a competitive NFC East in the coming years, with the Philadelphia Eagles coming off a promising (though playoff-less) season and the Dallas Cowboys still in the hunt for a championship.

McCloughan left the Seahawks due to personal matters that were detailed in an ESPN profile last month.