Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been connected to the New York Jets after The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt reported the team contacted the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach about a possible 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.”
As a result of this connection, WFAN’s Tommy Lugauer believes that Glenn won’t make it past next season as Jets head coach and predicts that owner Woody Johnson will offer Gruden full control of the organization.
“I believe that Woody Johnson is sabotaging and submarining Glenn and [Darren] Mougey because next year at this time, Woody Johnson is going to offer Jon Gruden full power over this organization, personnel, [and] the head coach,” Lugauer said in a video posted by WFAN on Feb. 4. “So he is handcuffing, he being Woody Johnson, Glenn and Mougey. He’s not giving them anything that they need to succeed, which will make it easy to say, ‘See you, Jon Gruden. Here’s the keys.’
“Because I believe Woody Johnson reached out to Jon Gruden, and I believe Woody Johnson wants Jon Gruden to be his head coach, responsible for this entire organization, to be the guy, to shake off the moniker that the Jets have, which the Jets are the worst franchise in all of sports.”
Former Raiders HC Shoots Down Jets Rumor
Despite this rumor linking Gruden to the Jets, he recently shot down speculation that he spoke with New York about a coaching role.
“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 Pursue Jon Gruden Next Offseason
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.”
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