Jon Gruden - Pro Football Rumors

Coaching Rumors: Bengals, Cowboys, Colts

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:36pm CST by Zachary Links

A roundup of the latest coaching news and rumors from around the NFL:

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis announced that the team is parting ways with offensive line coach Paul Alexander. Meanwhile, the team will retain offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and look to keep defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. Guenther is out of contract, meaning that he is free to sign with any team.
Cowboys special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia will be allowed out of his contract, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That should pave the way for him to join Jon Gruden‘s Raiders staff. Bisaccia still had some time to go on his deal thanks to the extension he inked back in March.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy confirmed to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he will interview for the head coaching openings with the Colts and Bears.
You can keep up with the dizzying number of head coaching interviews using PFR’s up-to-the-minute tracker.

Jon Gruden: “Good Chance” I’ll Be Raiders’ Next Coach

January 3rd, 2018 at 9:33am CST by Zachary Links

This is as close as we’ve gotten to a confirmation. On Wednesday, Jon Gruden told Mike Golic and Trey Wingo of ESPN (video link) that “there’s a good chance” he’ll accept the Raiders head coaching job, if it is offered to him.

The Raiders are one of six teams in the NFL in search of a new head coach, but unlike the Cardinals, Bears, Lions, Colts, and Giants, the Raiders have not reached out to multiple candidates. As far as we know, Gruden is the only candidate on their radar. It’s quite possible that the the two sides have a handshake deal and the only thing standing in the way of a signed contract could be the Rooney Rule. If the Raiders interview a minority candidate today or tomorrow, they could finalize Gruden’s return to Oakland.

it was previously reported that Gruden would be receiving a piece of team ownership in the deal, but Gruden adamantly denies that being the case.

“[There’s] no ownership; that’s for sure,” Gruden said.

If there is no ownership stake included in the deal, then it is safe to assume that Gruden will be among the league’s highest paid coaches when he puts pen to paper.

Gruden Rumors: ESPN, Morton, Guenther

January 1st, 2018 at 9:38am CST by Micah Powell

Though he has not officially taken the job, Jon Gruden is expected to become the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday night.

“The more you talked to people, the more they were convinced Jon would reenter coaching this year,” Schefter said. The return to coaching would be Gruden’s first job on the sideline since he left Tampa Bay in 2008. The Super Bowl XXXVII-winning coach broke into the league with the Raiders in 1998 at the age of 35 and amassed a 38-26 record in four seasons with the team.

Despite the rumors, ESPN has said that Gruden will call Saturday night’s playoff game with the Monday Night Football crew. That, of course, is likely to change should the announcement be finalized.

Here is the latest on the Gruden front:

News broke Sunday night that Jets offensive coordinator John Morton was expected to be a target for Gruden’s coaching staff. On Monday, the Jets are expected to let Morton out of his contract to join Gruden in Oakland, the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta hears (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported (Twitter link) that Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is expected to be pursued by Gruden for the same role in Oakland. Guenther’s contract expired following the Bengals’ 31-27 win over the Ravens on Sunday. If Marvin Lewis is not retained in Cincinnati, however, Guenther could be a candidate for the head-coaching gig.
On Monday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported (Twitter link) that Gruden is expected to eventually say yes to the job after the team complies with the Rooney Rule. He also notes that Gruden is planning to call plays.

Jon Gruden Interested In Hiring Jets OC John Morton With Raiders?

December 31st, 2017 at 8:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jon Gruden has not officially committed to leaving the broadcast booth yet, but should he do so and rejoin the Raiders, he may have a name in mind for offensive coordinator.

Gruden is interested in bringing Jets OC John Morton with him to Oakland for the OC role, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports. The Jets would not stand in the way if that were to happen, Mehta adds. Morton broke into coaching during Gruden’s Raiders regime.

Mehta notes the 48-year-old Morton considers Gruden, 54, a mentor. Morton has one year of offensive coordinator experience, signing on with the Jets earlier this year after being a wide receivers coach with the 49ers and Saints since 2011. Morton also resided on the Packers’ practice squad briefly during Gruden’s time as a Green Bay assistant in the early 1990s.

This season, Morton helped coax quality play from Josh McCown. The 38-year-old passer set a new career high with 18 touchdown passes. He completed 67 percent of his passes despite working with a young offense, this coming after McCown connected on just 55 percent of his throws with the 2016 Browns. Robby Anderson also enjoyed a breakout year under Morton, recording 941 receiving yards, with Jermaine Kearse also having his most productive season as a pro.

Although the Jets entered Week 17 with the league’s 24th-ranked offense, they were not supposed to be as productive as they were, and Morton may have a believer in Gruden.

Coaching Notes: Gruden, Lewis, Joseph

December 31st, 2017 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders‘ firing of Jack Del Rio less than a year after signing him to an extension would have come as a shock at this season’s outset, when the team was picked by most to win the AFC West. But now that Jon Gruden‘s name is in the mix, the franchise is operating like it has a real shot to lure him back to Oakland.

In firing Del Rio, the Raiders are confident they can bring Gruden back to Oakland, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Raiders doing this looks indeed to be for a Gruden landing, with Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News hearing (Twitter link) the Gruden buzz is legitimate. This comes shortly after Gruden’s name was connected with the Buccaneers. But the Bucs kept Dirk Koetter after a less successful tenure compared to Del Rio’s Oakland run. The Gruden noise appears louder regarding the Raiders. He was the most recent coach to receive a four-year opportunity coaching the Silver and Black, doing so from 1998-2001 prior to being traded to the Bucs in early 2002.

Here’s the latest from the coaching carousel.

Marvin Lewis‘ Bengals played a spoiler in Week 17, knocking the Ravens out of the playoffs. The coach’s future in Cincinnati remains murky, however, as his contract expires. Lewis made an interesting comment postgame regarding his status. When asked if he would accept Mike Brown‘s offer to remain the Bengals’ HC in 2018, Lewis replied (via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com), “It’s a little more complicated than that.” A report emerged last week about Lewis stepping down from his 15-year post. He has yet to confirm that.
Vance Joseph‘s Broncos tenure is also up in the air. However, the rookie head coach said he “absolutely” expects to be the team’s coach in 2018 and said (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, on Twitter) he has not been informed of a decision yet. Joseph said he will meet with John Elway tonight or Monday. The Broncos have never fired a coach after one season. However, this is only the second time in 27 seasons they’ve won five or fewer games. Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter) Elway will not make the decision tonight, planning to sleep on it. Klis adds that it shouldn’t be a surprise if Joseph is given a second season.
Bruce Arians met with Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill on Sunday morning, Laura Okmin of Fox Sports reports, adding a decision on whether or not he will step down could come by New Year’s Day (Twitter link). Arians has said himself his decision could come as soon as Monday, or as late as February, although Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes he’s likely to leave.

Jack Del Rio Out In Oakland

December 31st, 2017 at 6:47pm CST by Micah Powell

Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio was informed after the team’s Week 17 loss to the Chargers that he would not be retained, the coach told reporters including the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Michael Gehlken (Twitter link).

In his postgame press conference, the coach told reporters he was notified “two minutes ago” by Raiders owner Mark Davis of his decision. Del Rio said, “He told me he loved me and appreciated all that I did to get this program going to right direction, but that he felt he needed a change.” Del Rio expressed gratitude for the opportunity Davis gave him when he hired him in 2015.

Following a breakout 2016 campaign that saw the Raiders go 12-4, Oakland entered 2017 as potential Super Bowl contenders with a loaded offense and a solid defense. Things didn’t go according to plan and the Raiders scuffled to a 6-10 mark.

The firing comes on the heels of the Raiders’ reported pursuit of the team’s former head coach Jon Gruden. Reports claim the Raiders could offer the ESPN analyst an ownership stake in the team to take over as head coach.

In his three seasons as head coach, Del Rio amassed a 25-23 mark and advanced to the postseason in 2016 for the first time since the team lost the Super Bowl in 2002.

With young stars Derek Carr and Amari Cooper on offense and a game-changing talent on defense in Khalil Mack, the Raiders head-coaching job is arguably the top gig that will become available this offseason.

Raiders To Pursue Jon Gruden

December 31st, 2017 at 8:50am CST by Rory Parks

Now that the Buccaneers are expected to retain Dirk Koetter as their head coach in 2018 (though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks that Tampa Bay could easily reverse course in that regard), the Raiders are upping the ante in their pursuit of Jon Gruden. Gruden, of course, previously served as head coach of Tampa Bay and Oakland, though his name has been more heavily connected to the Buccaneers in recent weeks.

But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Raiders are preparing to pursue Gruden with an offer so strong that it could include an ownership stake in the team. Schefter adds that Gruden, currently an ESPN analyst, will be tempted to accept the offer, though he would prefer to wait until the regular season concludes and Oakland formally makes a decision on current head coach Jack Del Rio.

There are complications to a potential reunion. For instance, if Raiders owner Mark Davis does indeed offer Gruden an ownership stake, the contract would need to be approved by all 32 owners and the league finance committee, and such approval could be difficult to attain, as ownership would not want to set a precedent. Furthermore, Del Rio and Gruden are represented by the same agent, Bob LaMonte.

Nonetheless, one has to figure that if the Raiders want Gruden, and Gruden wants them, the two sides will find a way to make it happen. After all, Gruden never wanted to leave the Raiders to begin with, and though Oakland has struggled this season, there are a lot of factors that make its head coaching job an enviable one. Plus, although Gruden has been frequently discussed as a highly-coveted head coaching candidate in past years, this is the first year that he has made calls around the league in an effort to piece together a potential staff.

Interestingly, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) names current CBS analyst (and former Raiders QB) Rich Gannon as someone that Gruden has contacted as a potential quarterbacks coach.

Gruden declined to specifically comment on the Raiders’ position.

Gruden, Shurmur, McDaniels and Reich Expected To Receive HC Interest

December 28th, 2017 at 11:19am CST by GregGoldstein

The league is expecting potentially double-digit head coaching jobs to open up this offseason. With so many openings that might become available, you can expect to see a number of offensive-minded head coaches get interviews with the way the current NFL is going. With that being said, current offensive coordinators Pat Shurmur, Josh McDaniels and Frank Reich expect to “draw the most interest” of the league’s highly regarded offensive minds, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Tomasson also mentions former Super Bowl winning coach and longtime ESPN analyst Jon Gruden as part of that group as well.

Gruden, 54, is clearly the biggest name on this list because of his media personality and previous success in the league. The former head coach won both in Oakland and Tampa Bay, posting six seasons of above .500 football during his 11 year tenure from 1998-2008. Teams have tried a number of times to snag him from the broadcaster’s booth over the years, but with no success. However, Gruden appears more intent to return to coaching this offseason and seemingly could be had if the right opportunity presented itself.

Shurmer, 52, was a head coach once before, guiding the Browns to a 9-23 record in two seasons in Cleveland. However, he’s had a ton of success with the Vikings since he became their offensive coordinator in 2016. Specifically this season, he’s helped Case Keenum come from relative obscurity to leading one of the best team’s in football.

McDaniels, 41, was also a head coach for two seasons, leading the Broncos to a .500 record in 2009, before being fired midseason the next year after going 3-9 in his first 12 games. Since latching on with the friendly confines of New England once again, McDaniels is hoping that his second foray as a head coach will go better than his first. The current Patriots offensive coordinator is clearly a smart offensive mind that should be sought after by any organization looking to develop a young quarterback this offseason.

Reich, 56, is the only member of this group who has no previous head coaching experience. However, his two-year tenure with Eagles QB Carson Wentz has demonstrated the former quarterback’s ability to lead an offense. In his second year at the offensive controls in Philadelphia, the team has seen better improvements in every area of the game, with him showing a clear aptitude to use a variety of different players effectively throughout a game.

Latest On Jon Gruden, Buccaneers

December 24th, 2017 at 2:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht is expected to remain in place, the “current thinking” is that Tampa Bay head coach Dirk Koetter will be fired, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden is a candidate to return to Tampa Bay, per Florio, and many in league circles are “convinced” the Buccaneers will indeed make a run at Gruden, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.

Gruden, now an ESPN commentator, has been linked to a number of vacancies in recent seasons — including the Rams and Colts during the 2017 hiring cycle — but has always opted to return to the booth. However, Gruden didn’t rule out a return to coaching earlier this year, and has in fact been contacting former assistants regarding their availability, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).

While Gruden hasn’t been on a sideline in nearly a decade, he’s still only 54 years old. He’s reportedly worked through any issues with the Buccaneers ownership group that would prevent a return to Tampa Bay, and while the club typically waits until after the season to finalize coaching hires, a Gruden addition could occur quickly, reports Pelissero.

In seven seasons with the Buccaneers, Gruden posted a 57-55 record and won a Super Bowl trophy. Prior to leading Tampa Bay, Gruden managed a 38-26 mark with the Raiders.

University Of Tennessee Eyeing Jon Gruden

November 27th, 2017 at 12:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The University of Tennessee is interested in hiring ESPN commentator Jon Gruden to fill its head coaching vacancy, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

The Volunteers thought they had their new head coach over the weekend, as the university had agreed to terms with former Rutgers/Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano. However, Tennessee backed out of the deal following backlash to the Schiano announcement, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports, who reports some of the adverse reaction was tied to Schiano’s reported involvement in the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky scandal. (To be clear, Schiano was alleged to have seen Sandusky “doing something” in a shower, but was never charged with a crime or sued, and the rumors are largely viewed as hearsay.)

Tennessee has in fact discussed its head coaching job with Gruden, and are open to a deal that would pay the Super Bowl winning coach $10MM annually, per La Canfora. Gruden has never been a head coach at the collegiate level, but he did work as a graduate assistant for the Volunteers from 1986-87 and his wife is a former Tennessee cheerleader.

Sources tell La Canfora that Gruden may prefer an NFL job, and a reunion involving the Buccaneers could be possible if Tampa Bay fires incumbent Dirk Koetter. Indeed, some Tennessee boosters don’t believe a deal with Gruden is realistic, especially given that the college has pursued Gruden without results in the past. Still, Gruden didn’t rule out a return to coaching when the subject was broached earlier this month.

Gruden isn’t the only coach with NFL ties that appears to be on Tennessee’s radar, as the university has also expressed interest in Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers.