With the Washington Redskins officially eliminated from playoff contention, questions will turn to Mike Shanahan's future in D.C.
Shanahan has one year left on his contract and likely will seek an extension this offseason.
Fans surely will point to the team's regression in all areas of play to call for the coach to be fired.
LaVar Arrington, who played six years for the Redskins before Shanahan's arrival, is a radio personality in the D.C area and a guest analyst on NFL Network. He said Monday on "NFL AM" that Shanahan should take a pay cut and earn an extension on the field.
"I don't think getting rid of a coach is going to correct the problem. ... Make Mike Shanahan take a pay cut, if you are really committed to making this team better," Arrington said. "There are a lot of guys that will not have jobs after this season due to their lack of production as a player. There will be a lot of guys that will have to take pay cuts to remain on this team due to their lack of production. And the head coach and all these other coaches have had a lack of production. So why shouldn't they take a pay cut?"
Terrell Davis, one of Shanahan's biggest fans dating back to their time with the Denver Broncos, said the coach deserves another season to see if quarterback Robert Griffin III can progress under his tutelage.
"Right now, Mike is not coaching like he should be coaching, in terms of the production on the field," the NFL Media analyst said. "I will say this, give Mike another year, at least, to see if his quarterback, in RGIII, when he's healthy -- because they went 10-6 last year and we saw RGIII maturing a little bit -- give him one more year, see if they have any more progress from RGIII and then make a decision."
The key to that scenario will be whether owner Dan Snyder believes the relationship between RGIII and Shanahan is beyond repair after a tumultuous season.
*The latest "Around the League Podcast" recapped every Week 13 game. *
