McCloughan is a former executive with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks and has spent more than two decades in the NFL working either as a scout or in a front office.
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He will have authority over the draft and free agency, giving the club a highly respected personnel evaluator in charge and separate from the coach for the first time since Charley Casserly was dismissed in 1999.
McCloughan is credited with helping craft championship-level rosters with the 49ers (2005-09) and Seahawks (2010-13), including the two seasons he served as San Francisco's GM. He left both teams due to personal reasons and spent last season as a private consultant to NFL teams, talking to the Redskins throughout the season.
McCloughan said he doesn't want to live in the past and his personal issues made him a better person.
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25. Howard University Grad Mya Aaten-White Shot in Ferguson, Missouri: Mya Aaten-White, a 2012 graduate of Howard University, was shot in the head while protesting in Ferguson, Missouri, in August.
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24. The Cold Case of the Lyon Sisters: Sheila and Katherine Lyon were 12 and 10, respectively, when they disappeared from a Maryland mall in March 1975. A sex offender serving time for a rape conviction was named February 11, 2014, as a person of interest in the cold case.
23. Man Found Frozen to Death in Maryland:Record-breaking temperatures and wind chill claimed the life of a possibly homeless man behind a business on Allentown Road in early 2014.
22. Strip Club, Nearby Buildings Collapse in Northwest D.C.:Patrons and dancers at a northwest D.C. strip club were forced to evacuate to the street after their building collapsed in early May. Some inside the club were forced to jump out of second-story windows as the buildings' floors pancaked into each other, but no serious injuries were reported.
21. Marion Barry, District Council Member and Former Mayor, Dies at 78 : D.C. political icon Marion Barry died in late November after collapsing outside his home. Barry died of natural causes due to heart problems and chronic kidney disease that complicated the former Mayor's diabetes.
20. National Cathedral Holds First Muslim Prayer Service: Five Muslim groups held traditional Friday prayers at the National Cathedral in early November to help foster understanding between Christians and Muslims around the world. It was the first time Muslims had been invited to lead their own prayers in the historic building, and the events went smoothly despite a brief interruption by a protester.
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19. All Passengers Rescued From Stuck Roller Coaster at Six Flags America: Two dozen people spent four hours waiting to be rescued from a stuck roller coaster at Six Flags America in Maryland in early August. Each rider was taken down from the Joker's Jinx by a rescue bucket lifted into the air by a 105-foot tower ladder on rescue equipment.
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18. Urgent Air Bag Warning: Updated List of Cars That Should Be Fixed: Almost 8 million car owners in the U.S. had air bags recalled this October after the National Highway Safety Administration revealed that the air bags could rupture. The NHTSA said that the warning was especially urgent for owners living in coastal areas with high humidity.
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17. Anwan Glover, Actor in "The Wire," Stabbed Beaten Inside D.C. Nightclub: Anwan Glover, famous for his appearance in the HBO series "The Wire," was beaten and stabbed inside a northwest D.C. nightclub in early August. Glover suffered a severe laceration and bruise during the altercation.
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16. Marijuana Decriminalization, Other New Laws Take Effect in Maryland: Maryland made headlines in early October when its marijuana decriminalization, new minimum wage and transgender anti-discrimination laws went into effect. The state also enacted several new laws addressing prison security issues after 44 people, including 27 corrections officers, were indicted in a contraband- and drug-smuggling scheme involving a gang inside the Baltimore City Detention Center.
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15. Ferguson Protesters Snarl D.C. Traffic; 14th Street Bridge: A group of about 20 protesters formed a human chain across the 14th Street Bridge in northwest D.C. on December 1, shutting the bridge down at the heart of rush hour. Protesters were contesting a Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury's decision not to charge police officer Darren Wilson with shooting and killing unarmed teen Michael Brown.
14. A.J. Cooper, D.C. Council Candidate, Dies at 34: A.J. Cooper, a Ward 4 Candidate for D.C. Council, died suddenly after complaining of chest pains and dizziness shortly after Thanksgiving. Cooper was born and raised in Washington and graduated from the University of Maryland.
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13. Redskins Buses in Accident on Way to Stadium: Two buses carrying Washington Redskins players and coaches to a November game against the Minnesota Vikings were involved in a collision near Minneapolis. Although the buses sustained some damage, no players were seriously hurt.
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12. The Concert for Valor: Rihanna, Eminem, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen and others treated District residents and visitors to the first-of-its-kind Concert for Valor on November 11. The event was created by HBO, Starbucks and Chase Corp. to honor veterans.
11. Woman in Black Ends Mysterious Journey in Winchester: A mysterious woman in black robes sparked a social media phenomenon after she was spotted walking in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and, finally, Virginia. The woman ended her journey in Winchester, where dozens of fans waited to greet her.
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10. Federal Government Made $20 Billion in Secret Purchases in Recent Months: The News4 I-Team revealed that the federal government spent at least $20 billion in taxpayer money this year on items and services that it was permitted to keep secret from the public.
9. Police Chief in Uniform Told to Leave Gun Outside Ikea: Takoma Park Police Chief Alan Goldberg was instructed to leave his service weapon in the car before entering the Ikea in College Park, Maryland. Goldberg had stopped at the store with his daughter on July 4 when he was told that if he did not remove his weapon, he would have to leave the premises.
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8. James Brady's Death Was a Homicide, Medical Examiner Rules: A medical examiner ruled that the August death of President Ronald Reagan's press secretary was a homicide. James Brady died as a result of grievous injuries he suffered in March 1981 during an attempt on Reagan's life. The ruling cleared the way for authorities to charge the gunman, John Hinckley Jr., with Brady's murder -- thought that seems unlikely given Hinckley's psychiatric hospitalization.
7. Mom, Kids Among 6 Dead in Maryland Plane Crash: A private jet that crashed into a Gaithersburg neighborhood in early December claimed the lives of six people, including a mother and her two children. Marie Gemmell, 36, died cradling her 7-week-old and 3-year-old sons, sparking a national GoFundMe campaign that, to date, has raised nearly $500,000.
6. Three Dead in Columbia Mall Shooting: Three people, including the gunman, died in early 2014 after a shooting at The Mall in Columbia in Columbia, Maryland. Five other people were injured in the incident.
5. D.C. Student's Family Sues for $11 Million After Alleged Sex With Teacher: The family of a 17-year-old D.C. high school student filed a lawsuit for $11 million, claiming a substitute teacher maliciously made sexual contact with him in early October. Symone Greene, 22, was working at Options Public Charter School in Northeast D.C. on October 17 when she met the victim, a football player at the school. Greene allegedly performed oral sex on the teen that same day.
4. Disappearance of Relisha Rudd: It's been almost 10 months since 8-year-old Relisha Rudd vanished in a heartbreaking case that still leaves behind many unanswered questions. Rudd, who had lived at a D.C. homeless shelter with her family, was last seen at a motel on New York Avenue, according to surveillance video. Police believe a janitor at the shelter may have killed her. But the little girl was apparently missing for weeks before officials realized she was gone.
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3. Murder of Hannah Graham: Hannah Graham, a Fairfax County native, was a second-year student at the University of Virginia when she went out for a night with friends and never came home, prompting a month-long search that ended when her remains were found just miles from where she was last seen in Charlottesville. The suspect in her abduction, Jesse Leroy Matthew, has now been linked to the murder of a Virginia Tech student in 2009 and a 2005 attempted murder in Fairfax.
2. 2+2=What? Parents Rail Against Common Core Math: Some parents trying to help their kids with math homework say that adding and subtracting have become as complicated as calculus under new Common Core standards. Simple arithmetic isn't so simple anymore, and parents are frustrated, with one saying it makes her "blood boil."
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1. Patient Evaluated for Possible Ebola at D.C. Hospital: A patient who was evaluated for Ebola at Howard University Hospital was declared free of the disease in early October. Panic swept the nation after Thomas Duncan became the first person to die of Ebola in the U.S. Since then, three additional cases of Ebola have been recorded in the U.S., and more than 20,000 people have been diagnosed with the deadly disease in West Africa, where the current outbreak began.
He has no easy task in front of him. The Redskins have finished last in the NFC East in six of the past seven seasons, and poor draft decisions and unwise free agency signings have left the talent pool wanting.
In addition, McCloughan must decide if Robert Griffin III -- who has been benched twice in two years -- truly is the franchise quarterback he appeared to be when he won the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2012. McCloughan said he thought both Griffin and backup quarterback Kirk Cousins were productive players coming out of college.
McCloughan will also work with Jay Gruden, who went 4-12 in his first season as an NFL head coach. Gruden is in search of a defensive coordinator after Jim Haslett's departure last week. McCloughan said he will not be involved in that hire, leaving it to Gruden. Sources tell News4's Dianna Russini former Cleveland Browns and New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini, currently an assistant with the 49ers, will interview for the defensive coordinator job.
Mangini was on Patriots defensive staff during all 3 of their Super Bowl wins. He coached the secondary and was a DC #Redskins
McCloughan takes the job previously held by Bruce Allen, who has been the Redskins' general manager for the past five seasons and gained final say over roster matters after in-charge-of-everything coach Mike Shanahan was fired a year ago. Allen did not have a strong reputation as a player-personnel manager when he came to Washington, and the team is 28-52 during his five full seasons.
Allen, a close confidant of team owner Dan Snyder, will remain team president, concentrating on business and other off-the-field matters. He said hiring McCloughan was a no-brainer after learning he wanted to be back in the league.
