Jay Gruden is the eighth Redskins coach since 1999. (Getty Images)
Jay Gruden is the eighth Redskins coach since 1999. (Getty Images)

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The Redskins made a very sizeable commitment to new coach Jay Gruden, despite still paying former Mike Shanahan's staff roughly $10 million for 2014, sources said. Gruden, who was highly sought after following the Bengals' playoff defeat, will earn over $20 million, according to sources, in a deal that is fully guaranteed.

Often, coaching deals are announced as five-year deals, but in reality the teams have options on the final year, or years, especially in the case of unproven head coaches. Gruden's deal is for five guaranteed years, giving him ample protection, should, say the regime of new general manager Bruce Allen not go well. That kind of a mandate makes it clear Gruden is carrying considerable sway within the organization as well, as he takes over an NFL team for the first time.

The Redskins job has become a cancer for coaches -- no one has come close to winning semi-consistently since Dan Snyder took over as owner -- and thus it was not surprising in the end that the team ended up paying big bucks even for a first-time coach, with Gruden set to earn in excess of $4 million a season.