Jon Gruden‘s lawsuit against the NFL has not been settled, and a return to the pro coaching ranks before it does remains highly unlikely. In the meantime, the former Raiders head coach is open to a college head coaching opportunity. 
“Yeah, I’m interested in coaching,” Gruden said during an interview with CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. “Hell yeah, I’m interested in coaching. I know I can help a team, I know I can help young players get better, and I know I can hire a good staff, and that’s the only thing I can guarantee. But yeah, I’m very interested in coaching at any level, period.”
The 61-year-old resigned midway through the 2021 season after emails he sent while an ESPN analyst were uncovered during an investigation into former Commanders owner Dan Snyder. Gruden filed a suit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, one which the league has attempted to handle via arbitration. Gruden has pressed to have the case heard in open court, although that process has hit a number of obstacles. In July, his legal team asked to have a split decision by the Nevada Supreme Court favoring arbitration overturned.
It remains to be seen if the case will ultimately be presided over by Goodell or an appointee (if the arbitration route is taken) or in open court provided Gruden’s appeals processes work out. A full-time coaching gig at the NFL level would come as a surprise at this point, but the former Buccaneers Super Bowl winner has played a temporary role on staffs recently. Gruden worked as a consultant with the Saints last year, and he spent time alongside Andy Reid and the Chiefs this offseason. His stock could be rebuilt with a successful run at the NCAA level.
Marcello notes that opinion is split amongst college administration officials and athletic directors with respect to a potential Gruden hire. A number of coaches with past off-the-field issues have received second chances at the NCAA level, though, and a market could pick up as Gruden eyes a long-term opportunity to coach again. It will be interesting to see if he manages to land a college gig while his lawsuit against the NFL continues to play out.
“If there’s somebody out there that thinks they need a candidate, somebody to come in there, maybe lather it up a little bit, jazz it up a little bit, I’ll be down here in Tampa,” Gruden added. “I’ll be ready to go if needed.”
Colorado could use a big personality like Gruden. He and Deion would be great
Until Deion gets fired…
I think Gruden can out coach Deion.
Colorado should hire him right now
He would help….even if it was called a Quality Control Coach
He would help
Regardless of any views on Gruden himself, I find it astonishing that any fair court could rule that the NFL could continue to keep potential lawsuits from reaching the legal system.
The ultimate monopoly…and they get to steal taxpayer dollars to build facilities that boost their business value.
I’ve always felt that courts have a responsibilty to the taxpayers when trying to apply justice to the legal system. There is a huge backlog of cases because many simply have no merit. Gruden went public and admitted his wrong doings so I don’t see how he can then claim the NFL was at fault in terminating his employment. Not being able to coach isn’t the end of the world…there are other things he could do.
I’ll never forget Jon loving every single quarterback entering the draft when he worked at ESPN, yet he never drafted a quarterback very high while coaching.
He wasn’t going to bad mouth any of those young men. He was just trying to talk up their strengths
My point is that he never developed a quarterback. Jon’s no ‘QB guru.’
Seems another big money conglomerate, NFL and owners, holding the leash on the injustice machine.
Gruden is a proven ‘Coach’, successful in terms of wins / loses, it’s a shame he’s not been offered the opportunity to improve a team program. Yet coaches that are showing themselves mediocre inept stay employed. He is as entertaining, from the sidelines, as the are the games.
Could he fix Carolina, improve Indy, Giants or Jets? Just maybe if he put together a better staff than he had in Oakland as that wasn’t the optimal product.
Only one person can fix Carolina and I don’t think he’s selling anytime soon.
Couldn’t agree more
I agree, Gruden is a proven coach. He will get a coaching job at the college level I think. If he came back to the NFL the Giants wouldn’t be a bad spot for him to land.
Carolina is better today then they were last week thanks to the Bryce benching. Andy Dalton is an upgrade for CAR. If Tepper can take a step back and let the HC make the decisions the team could become competitive. Benching Bryce after 2 weeks is a good sign that the HC has some say in the locker room.
I don’t think there is even the slightest chance Gruden -or anyone else- could fix Carolina as long as Tepper owns the team. I’d even go so far as to say, being it’d probably be his last HC opportunity, Carolina would be a spot Gruden shouldn’t consider, even if the opportunity presented itself. Him receiving an offer would mean they fired Canales, which would be just another HC in a long line given no talent, no time and no real opportunity.
Would be a great hire!
In 2018, Gruden returned to the Raiders as their head coach. He led the team until his resignation during the 2021 season after it was publicly revealed that he wrote and sent many racist, misogynistic, and homophobic emails between 2011 and 2018
Enough said..why hire a bigoted idiot
You’ve never displayed any economic, ethnic or social disdain against another human?
Don’t lie, it might define a future destination