Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is being linked to the New York Jets after Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported the team contacted him about a role on 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.”
Despite this rumor, Gruden doesn’t appear to be returning to the NFL coaching ranks this hiring cycle as he set the record straight regarding any interest from New York.
“Well there’s a lot of reports we’re not going to get into,” Gruden said during a Jan. 29 appearance on 95.3 WDAE & AM620. “As you know there’s a lot of stupid rumors out there. Some of these reports are ridiculous. Let’s just say that there was never anything from the Jets, and I wish them well in their search for a new offensive coordinator.”
Jets Urged to Hire Former Raiders Head Coach
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.”
Should Jets Make Jon Gruden Their HC Now?
Furthermore, 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?”
Gruden will remain working in the sports media world for Barstool, but it will be interesting to see if next year, whether it’s the Jets or another team comes knocking, if he’ll have the itch to get back into becoming a head coach again.
Former Raiders HC Jon Gruden Gets Blunt About Jets Rumor