Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden could be eyeing a comeback. He’s been out of coaching since resigning during the 2021 season and considering he’s in the middle of a lawsuit with the NFL, returning to the pros likely isn’t an option right now.
However, the NCAA could make sense for Gruden. Tom Allen was recently fired as head coach at Indiana and The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman listed the Super Bowl-winning coach as an option for the Hoosiers.
“One major wild card candidate that could get involved in the search is former NFL coach Jon Gruden,” Feldman wrote in a November 26 column. “Gruden, who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 39, won 117 total games as an NFL head coach, but resigned as the Las Vegas Raiders coach in 2021 after an NFL investigation uncovered emails Gruden sent from 2011 to 2018 that used racist, misogynistic and homophobic language.”
Feldman noted that Gruden’s father Jim was on Indiana’s coaching staff under Lee Corso in the 70s so it’s a program he should have some familiarity with. There could be an interest on Gruden’s part, per the insider.
“Word is that Gruden does have some interest in the job,” Feldman wrote. “Whether the Indiana administration would have the appetite for a move like this, though, remains to be seen.”
Would Jon Gruden Make Sense in College?
Jon Gruden was once a top NFL coach and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. He took a decade-long break from coaching and returned to the Raiders in 2018. However, the results were mixed as he went 22-31 in a little over three seasons before resigning.
Considering his struggles while coaching the Raiders, he may not get another shot to be a head coach in the NFL. If that’s the case, college football could make sense. Gruden is a recognizable face and his charisma could serve him well in recruiting.
He’s always had an intense style that has typically worked better in college than it has in the NFL. It’s easy to see him having a lot of success at the college level. He hasn’t coached in college since he was a wide receivers coach at Pittsburgh in 1991. Pete Carroll is a coach who had a long NFL career before going to USC and becoming one of the best college coaches ever. Perhaps Gruden could have a similar career arc.
Coach Jon Gruden X Routegod
Situational Route Running And In Game Movements
Las Vegas Raiders About to Have Coaching Search
With the Raiders falling to 2-2 under interim head coach Antonio Pierce following a 31-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, it appears they will be in the market for a new head coach following the season. There’s been previous speculation that owner Mark Davis could consider bringing back Jon Gruden but that seems unlikely.
Even if Pierce shows that he deserves a fair chance at the job over the next several weeks, the Raiders have to launch a full coaching search to satisfy the Rooney Rule. The franchise has had two winning seasons since 2002 so Davis can’t afford to hire the wrong coach once again. This is a pivotal offseason for Las Vegas as another bad head coaching hire will set the team back even further.