While Kevin O’Connell appears to be the frontrunner to remain the Washington Redskins offensive coordinator, head coach Ron Rivera has shown interest elsewhere. According to 106.7 the Fan’s Grant Paulsen, the Redskins have interest in former New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur in the event O’Connell does not return.
O’Connell has already interviewed for the Redskins offensive coordinator position. Rivera also interviewed former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Scott Turner.
Meanwhile, Rivera is filling out position coaches on offense without a coordinator. He reportedly has hired former Panthers assistants John Matsko as offensive line coach and Jim Hostler as wide receivers coach.
Former Panthers OC Scott Turner and holdover Redskins OC Kevin O'Connell have already interviewed for the job. Shurmur is the other name in the mix. Position assistants are being brought in without a coordinator named yet.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) January 5, 2020
Shurmur was fired on Dec. 30 by the Giants after two seasons. He compiled a record of 9-23. But, Shurmur has made his name as an offensive coordinator, making stops with the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings.
A two-year stint as the Cleveland Browns coach and interim head coach with the Eagles were mixed in.
It was his time in Minnesota that was most impressive on his resume. In 2017, Shurmur revamped his offense around Case Keenum after the benching of Sam Bradford. Keenum had his best season of his career, throwing for 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing 67.6% of his passes.
With aid from the “Minnesota Miracle” the Vikings reached the NFC Championship Game that season. The Vikings offense finished 11th in yards and 10th in points in the NFL.
Keep in mind, Shurmur was the coach of the Giants, who passed on quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the NFL, selecting Daniel Jones sixth overall. Haskins fell to 15th where the Redskins selected him.
With that said, the ball seems to be in O’Connell’s court. His interview was described as a “two-way interview.”
A recent report says O’Connell is “working things out” with Rivera before Turner’s interview with the Redskins head coach.
O’Connell is certainly a favorite of Redskins fans given the work he did with Haskins and the trio of rookies at wide receivers — Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims Jr. and Kelvin Harmon.
As the waiting game continues for whatever reasons, Shurmur could emerge as another candidate if he is interested in coming to Washington.
