The NFL coaching carousel is definitely spinning, and with the final slate of regular season games approaching, the Las Vegas Raiders are definitely in the news. Much of that news is about the fate of coach Pete Carroll, but there’s another name surfacing that’s all too familiar to Raiders fans.
Jon Gruden wants to coach again, according to reports, and ESPN covered the possibility of his returning to the sidelines in a report from their experts. A lot of their comments were speculative and hypothetical, of course, but Gruden’s name has been out there for a while now, with Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reporting weeks ago that Raiders owner Mark Davis wants to hire Gruden once he disposes of Carroll by firing him this Monday.
“I really struggled with this one, as did most of the people to whom I spoke,” wrote Dan Graziano. “Jon Gruden? That's complicated by a ton of factors, including his pending litigation against the league.”
Fellow expert Jeremy Fowler agreed. Gruden has faded into the background since the disastrous release of some of his emails by former Washington owner Dan Snyder, which included an ugly array of ethnic and sexist slurs, but he also represents a known quantity when it comes to NFL coaching.
“It wouldn't shock me if teams wanted to speak with Gruden, assuming his lawsuit will reach a conclusion at some point. In a year with limited offensive options, this would be the time,” Fowler wrote. “His imprint is still all over the NFL coaching landscape.”
Gruden’s presence as a possible hire points to several trends in this year’s coaching landscape. College coaches are less popular this year, according to nearly every ESPN expert, and other retreads like Mike McCarthy, the former coach of the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, were mentioned.
Coordinators are still a hot commodity, but the names that are being thrown around are all over the map. Some trace their success back to the ever-popular coaching tree of Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, and there’s also a concerted effort to find the next Ben Johnson, the former Detroit Lions coordinator who’s gone on to have considerable success leading the Chicago Bears this season.
It’s all a bit of a muddle right now, but there will be some clarity when Black Monday rolls around next week. Expect the Raiders to be right in teh middle of the action as their disastrous season comes to a merciful end, and don’t be surprised if a Davis-Gruden reunion is on the horizon.