If it weren’t for his decision to resign during the 2021 season, it’d be fascinating to know if Jon Gruden would still be the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Owner Mark Davis loves him as a coach, and it’s hard to see a scenario where he would fire him.
At the same time, Gruden went 22-31 in his second Raiders tenure, so he wasn’t winning. Now that the dust has settled with his previous email scandal, there’s been speculation that he could eventually return to football.
He has made it clear that he wants to coach again. After the Raiders beat the Chiefs in Week 18, Gruden decided to post a GIF of a Raiders flag on X. Former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and his brother David have been doing a podcast for the last year.
For a recent episode, Derek Carr was mysteriously absent, which led to David Carr connecting some dots. Watch the below clip from the “Home Grown” podcast.
It’s not entirely clear what David Carr is suggesting. He seems like he’s trying to stir up some rumors about a Derek Carr and Gruden reunion on the Raiders. However, the GIF that David Carr points to was posted right after the Raiders beat the Chiefs, so it’s hard to see how that is worthy of speculation.
What’s most likely is that David Carr is teasing Derek Carr appearing on Gruden’s show with Barstool Sports.
Would Raiders Consider Bringing Back Gruden?
As long as Gruden is a free agent and Davis owns the Raiders, there is always going to be speculation that a reunion could happen. Davis loves the coach and didn’t seem eager to fire him when the email scandal broke.
Gruden is still in the middle of a lawsuit with the NFL, so that complicates things. Perhaps if that gets settled, that could pave the way for a Gruden return. While that’s still pending, the Raiders likely won’t pull the trigger on him.
Even if the lawsuit get settles, the Raiders should avoid him. He didn’t have the team heading in the right direction while he was there. A big reason why the team is still bad is because of the decisions he made.
Raiders Have Better Options
The NFL game seems to have passed Gruden by. His coaching staff with the Raiders was really weak, and the team was abysmal at drafting and developing players.
There are far more appealing candidates who are available. If the Raiders wanted a different coach who is suing the NFL, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores would make more sense than Gruden.
There are also appealing offensive playcallers like Klint Kubiak, Mike McDaniel and Kevin Stefanski who are available. Gruden is still a decent offensive mind, but he also hasn’t been calling plays for several years. Luckily, minority owner Tom Brady is in Davis’s ear and should steer him away from wanting to hire Gruden. It’s hard to imagine that Brady would have any interest in bringing back the polarizing head coach.
David Carr Stirs Raiders Speculation With Comments on Derek Carr & Jon Gruden