The Washington Redskins expect to name Joe Gibbs their
coach Wednesday, a source within the NFL told The
Associated Press.

The Hall of Fame coach has been negotiating a surprise
return to the team he led to three Super Bowls, said
the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The source said the team hoped to complete the deal
and make an announcement later Wednesday.

The negotiations were first reported by The Washington
Post and CBS Sportsline.com.

The 63-year-old Gibbs coached the Redskins from 1981-92
before resigning to pursue a career with his own NASCAR
team. He has been adamant over the years about not
wanting to coach again, although he has retained NFL
connections. He is currently a minority owner of the
Atlanta Falcons.

Gibbs was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in
1996.

The Redskins are seeking a replacement for Steve Spurrier,
who resigned last week. They were known to have
interviewed three candidates: former New York Giants coach
Jim Fassel, former Minnesota coach Dennis Green and
Seattle defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes.

Terms of Gibbs' deal were not immediately available, but
the Redskins have budgeted $5 million per year for a
coach, the amount they were paying Spurrier.

Calls to Joe Gibbs Racing team were not immediately
returned.

Gibbs' racing teams have been among the most successful
in NASCAR with two Winston Cup championships in the last
four seasons. Bobby Labonte took the title in 2000 and
Tony Stewart in 2002.

Gibbs' oldest son, J.D., is president of Joe Gibbs Racing. The former
coach's youngest son, Coy, finished 14th last season in the Busch
Series standings.