Lost in the chaos of the Redskins' impressive showing in the draft was this meaty nugget from NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, which dropped Friday.
There continue to be steady rumblings in the scouting and personnel community that Skins team president Bruce Allen could end up back with the Raiders in some capacity after the draft and some wonder if Gruden shuffles his personnel department more after the draft.
The Gruden to which La Canfora was referring above is Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, the $100 million man entrusted to right the franchise over the next 10 years and oversee its eventual move to Las Vegas in 2019. Reports have been swirling that he may look to reshuffle Oakland's front office after the draft.
As La Canfora hints, Redskins president Bruce Allen could be a Gruden target when that happens, which would renew a relationship that precedes Allen's Redskins tenure in both Tampa and Oakland.
However possible this is will likely come out in the wash, but it fits a narrative that's been slow to develop, a belief that Allen's time in Washington is inching toward its natural conclusion.
There was Chris Russell's early-April report, which depicted Redskins owner Dan Snyder as being "furious" with Allen over a series of PR goofs, and that plans were in place to eventually slide the front office into the hands of Eric Schaffer, a longtime team employee whose influence has steadily grown within the organization and who was most recently elevated to Senior VP of Football Operations after Scot McCloughan's firing.
Not for nothing, Allen did purchase a beach home on the opposite coast last July.
In the meantime, the Redskins appear to be functioning at an unusually high level this offseason. They seamlessly found Kirk Cousins' replacement even before he left town, orchestrating a sign-and-trade for former Chiefs passer Alex Smith. They managed a measured free agency period which valued basic need over fanfare, and got rid of an unavoidable problem in Su'a Cravens in exchange for some better draft picks. All the while, Allen's leaky ship has dripped, and dripped and dripped.
They've been so on point, it's almost as if the organization's being run by a completely different person...
UPDATE: Allen Says He's Not Joining Raiders
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report have both since corroborated La Canfora's reporting.
If changes are coming to Raiders front office, they haven't happened yet (but some think Bruce Allen is looming) https://t.co/kosBa6LfSQ
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 30, 2018Confirming @ProFootballTalk report about Bruce Allen's interest in returning to the Raiders. The interest, by the way, is mutual.Not saying it will happen. Just saying possibility is more than just rumor.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) April 30, 2018Follow @ChrisLingebach and @1067TheFan on Twitter
