A lot of former NFL head coaches are going to be getting interview opportunities between now and the end of the playoffs, and former Super Bowl champion Jon Gruden is primed to be one of them.
According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Gruden is a name to watch as the NFL coaching carousel gets into full gear starting next week. There are currently three head coaching vacancies in the NFL, but that number could double or even triple by Monday in what is referred to as "Black Monday."
As it stands, the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears are all looking for new head coaches. Joining them in search of a new head coach could be the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys. Some but probably not all of those teams could give Gruden a look over the course of the next few weeks.
Gruden has been in self-imposed exile since resigning from the Raiders in the middle of the 2021 season. The team went on to make the playoffs that year but has not been back since.
But fans aren't exactly clamoring for Gruden to return. The circumstances behind his resignation are still relatively fresh in some minds and are reluctant to see him lead their team. His lack of success since leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl in 2002 doesn't help him either.
"Has this extensive work somehow not included why he got fired and has been out of the league since?" one user remarked.
"I credit Gruden for being on fire the year the Bucs won the SB. But truth be told, that was over 20 years ago and he hasn't done diddlysquat as a HC since then. Hard pass," wrote another.
"He gonna scam another franchise," a third wrote.
Gruden went 38-26 in his first stint with the Raiders, leading them on back-to-back playoff runs in 2000 and 2001. He then won the Super Bowl in 2002 in his first year with the Buccaneers, but had only three more winning seasons and two playoff appearances over the next six seasons before his firing after the 2008 season.
The Raiders steadily got better in each of their first three years under Gruden, going from 4-12 to 7-9 to 8-8 before his resignation after a 3-2 start in 2021. That team went on to finish 10-7 and reached the playoffs for just the second time in two decades.
Is Gruden ready for another shot in the NFL?
