Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is in the rumor mill after Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported that the New York Jets reached out to Gruden about joining Aaron Glenn’s coaching staff.
“The Jets reached out to Jon Gruden about the idea of joining Aaron Glenn’s staff, according to multiple sources,” Rosenblatt wrote on Jan. 27 on X. “Gruden wasn’t interested in the job.”
Nonetheless, with this report emerging, WFAN’s Evan Roberts said it was Jets owner Woody Johnson offering Gruden the job to join Glenn’s coaching staff, not the head coach himself. As a result, Roberts believes that when Glenn is fired in 2027, New York will be looking to hire Gruden.
“Next year, when the Jets fire Aaron Glenn, and they will, you people listening, and you know who you are because you’ve called in for months, Jon Gruden, Jon Gruden, Jon Gruden,” Roberts said in a video posted by WFAN on Jan. 28. “You wanted him for the Giants. You’re going to get what you want. You’re going to get them for the Jets. Jon Gruden is the next head coach of the New York Jets.
“I think it’s obvious, and I’m not just saying that, I’m not telling you I want it. It’s obvious because Woody Johnson made that phone call. If Woody Johnson is showing you that he is comfortable getting into business with Jon Gruden, even on the level of being a coordinator, that tells you all you need to know.”
Jets Urged to Make Jon Gruden Move Now
Nonetheless, former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber believes that the Jets should make the move now for Gruden rather than waiting a year with Glenn.
“This team is a disaster,” Barber said in a video posted by WFAN on Jan. 28. “And the reputation of the organization is, it is what it is. And I’m not just talking about it from a fan standpoint, from a Jets fan, or even a trolling Giants fan. I’m talking about it from a league-wide perspective.
“The Jets are not highly viewed as an organization. This thing is chaos right now. It feels like unless you do something drastic, it’s going to stay chaos for 2026. Why not just fire him now? Why not just go bring Jon Gruden in here now?”
Would Jets Reunite With Raiders QB Geno Smith?
Meanwhile, the Gruden news isn’t the only Jets-Raiders connection to emerge. WFAN’s Tommy Lugauer floated the idea of the Jets bringing back Geno Smith as a stopgap QB, as they look to possibly take a shot at Texas Longhorns signal-caller Arch Manning in the 2027 NFL Draft.
“The next quarterback for the Jets is going to be Geno Smith,” Lugauer said in a video posted by WFAN on Jan. 27. “Now, it’s a short‑term answer, and it’s obviously a [reunion] with Geno and the Jets. But after my advanced search and thinking of it differently and viewing it differently, the next quarterback of the Jets is going to be Geno Smith.
“As your veteran, stopgap before you draft the eventual franchise and hopeful savior of this team to finally break the streak that is the longest playoff drought of all four major sports.“
Jets Receive Major Take on Former Raiders HC Jon Gruden