The NFL had owners meetings last week in Dallas. They concluded with Daniel Snyder still owning the Commanders. But in fairness to the league, they had bigger fish to fry.
NFL officials have informed the owners of the league’s 32 franchises that teams have spent $800 million on fired coaches and front-office executives over the past five years, league sources told ESPN.
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NFL officials went so far as to compose spreadsheets specific to each team about the employees they fired and the costs incurred by the team, according to sources. The league wanted each team to see the exact cost for instability and the employees they paid for services no longer rendered.
What a strange, strange move. I am pretty sure John Mara and Steve Tisch are intimately familiar with the fact the Giants are currently paying Joe Judge and Pat Shurmur a significant amount of money to not work for them. And new Broncos owner Rob Walton is likely painfully aware he will light money on fire in a few weeks. Because that’s what happens when you buy a team coached by Nathaniel Hackett.
Moreover, why would this even be a league concern? This is not college football, where public funds are being used. And it’s not like any of these teams are in danger of having the electricity turned off with a coaching change (OK, maybe the Raiders do have to worry about that).
I do get the patience argument. There is certainly credence there. For example: The Cardinals look dumb for many reasons right now. But firing Steve Wilks after one year is a big one now. Wilks has proven he can do the job well by stabilizing the Panthers. But beyond that, burning cash on short coaching and GM tenures is the cost of doing business when there are no excuses for prolonged losing. But then again, anything to not talk about Snyder’s piles of scandal.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com
