Commanders hire long-time league-office executive Dave Gardi

The league office laid the groundwork for a new property in Washington. The new owners in Washington have hired a veteran member of the league office.

I’m not saying it’s not a coincidence. I’m just saying it happened.

The commanders have hired Dave Gardi. He had recently been vice president of football initiatives for the NFL. In Washington, via ESPN.com, Gardi “will be responsible for a series of management duties in the game and will support the coaching staff and management in compliance with League protocols, officiating trends and health and safety guidelines.”

Basically, he will make sure that commanders follow the rules. And also, frankly, coming up with creative ways to secure an advantage while still playing by the rules.

He knows how the sausage is made at 345 Park Avenue. He can use that knowledge to give commanders an advantage. The fact that he will be involved with “in-game management tasks” means that commanders will expect him to draw on his experience to help commanders.

The move also invites speculation about whether, for example, a league that has suddenly started saving money might have cut Gardi, prompting him to look elsewhere. It’s also possible that someone in a position of power decided it was time for Gardi to go. (The league office generally doesn’t fire people; sometimes it replaces them on teams.)

That said, Gardi has never been mentioned as a possible successor to Commissioner Roger Goodell. Typically, that’s the event that puts a promising executive on the Big Shield’s endangered species list.