Jay Gruden, Redskins Reportedly Agree to 2-Year Contract Extension

The Washington Redskins announced on Monday morning that head coach Jay Gruden has agreed to a multi-year contract extension as he prepares to enter his fourth year with the team.

ESPN.com's John Keim first reported on Saturday that it was a two-year extension and added that the new contract stretches beyond the original five-year deal Gruden signed. Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan confirmed the report at the time.

Gruden—who is the brother of former Super Bowl-winning head coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden—reached the agreement on his 50th birthday.

In three campaigns with the Redskins, Gruden is 21-26-1 with one playoff appearance.

He led Washington to a surprising NFC East title in 2015 and would have made the postseason in 2016 with a victory in Week 17, but the Redskins fell to the rival New York Giants.

According to Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan, Gruden's extension is a departure from owner Dan Snyder's usually quick hook when it comes to head coaches:

If Gruden coaches into the fifth year of his contract in 2018, he will become the first Redskins head coach to last more than four seasons since Norv Turner from 1994 through 2000.

Gruden was a college quarterback at Louisville, and he enjoyed success as a signal-caller in the Arena Football League with four championships to his credit.

His status as a former quarterback has proven helpful as an NFL coach, as he developed Andy Dalton during his time as the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive coordinator, and has done the same with Kirk Cousins in Washington.

While Cousins' long-term future has yet to be determined, Washington used the franchise tag on him for the second year in a row, which means it is likely he will be under center once again in 2017.

If Washington is going to bounce back from last season's 8-7-1 campaign and return to the playoffs, then the combination of Gruden and Cousins must continue to click.