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What’s the best way to get people to forget about Jay Gruden’s misplaced faith in Andy Dalton and/or his inability to get the most out of him? By tapping into the time-honored mentality of scarcity.

Who cares if the younger brother of Jon Gruden isn’t the best candidate to be the head coach in Washington, Tennessee, Minnesota, or Detroit? His name is Gruden, and other teams want him. So let’s hire him!

According to Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the Redskins are very interested in Jay Gruden. Which could be causing other teams to become very interested in him, too.

“I think he’s their first choice,” an unnamed source told Maske regarding the Redskins. The source also said that Jay Gruden prefers the Tennessee job, but that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder could make Jay Gruden a financial offer that he can’t refuse.

While it’s bad form to speculate on sources (as if that’s ever stopped me), it’s impossible not to at least wonder whether noted puppet master Bob LaMonte is leaking information that reflects knowledge of the perceived preferences of Washington and Gruden. We’ve consistently heard chatter in league circles that, of all his coaching clients, LaMonte’s top priority for the current hiring cycle is to place Jay Gruden in a head-coaching job.

And if LaMonte can drive up the market for entry-level coaches while doing so, that’s a bonus.

That said, it’s no surprise that Jay Gruden would be inclined to avoid a potentially destructive situation in D.C., given the reported attitude of the quarterback and the accepted reputation of the owner. And it’s no surprise that Snyder may have to pay a premium in order to lure a candidate who has options elsewhere.

Regardless, there’s only one Jay Gruden available on the shelves. If billionaires used to getting their way sense a race to the mutually-perceived prize, he may not be there for long.