Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk recently gave his opinion on Jon Gruden and his continued attempt to get back on the sidelines. On his show, he even alluded to another route, one where Gruden gets to return to coaching thanks to the NFL.
“He may finally get an offer that he can’t refuse. … Is there a way the NFL can play this where somebody makes a phone call or two, somebody ensures that someone gets hired to be a head coach again, and that takes the steam out of Jon Gruden’s effort to burn the house down,” Florio said. (9:00)
Mike Florio’s comments refer to the fact that Gruden is still in conflict with the NFL due to his lawsuit against leaked emails that caused him to resign as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021.
Florio made a clear implication that the league might make its way so Gruden can be hired. He was also insinuating that the NFL may view this as an attempt to defuse the legal battle, with the story being controlled. The timing is notable, as Gruden has recently been linked to multiple college openings, including potential interest in SEC programs.
Jon Gruden’s College Coaching Roots and His Desire to Return
Jon Gruden’s coaching career began in college, launching as a graduate assistant at Tennessee (1986–87), then working as the passing game coordinator at Southeast Missouri State (1988) and tight ends coach at Pacific (1989). He also worked as a wide receivers coach at Pittsburgh in 1991 before finally getting to the NFL.
Gruden has not coached in college since 1991, although he has a decades-long NFL resume, including a Super Bowl win with Tampa Bay in 2002 as well as a job with the Raiders from 2018 to 2021. But his recent words are seem to show his desire to come back.
He spoke at a Georgia Bulldogs event last week and said:
“The only reason I really came here is I want to coach again… I would kill to be a coach in the SEC. I would be thrilled. I would f-ing love that.”
Gruden’s degree of passion makes college football, and specifically the SEC, the most attractive path back to coaching. However, his scandalous departure from the Raiders as a result of offensive email scandals has been a sticking point that has barred the best college programs, according to SEC ADs per CBS Sports. The first step for Gruden to get to the SEC is likely figuring out what is next with the NFL.
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