APMost coaches would jump at the chance to become an NFL head coach. Or, at a minimum, to gain experience interviewing for one of the 32 most coveted jobs in all of sports.
Not Jay Gruden.
Twice this month, the Bengals’ offensive coordinator has rejected an opportunity to be considered for a coaching job. First it was the Jaguars. Now, he has spurned an overture from the Colts, according to Charley Casserly of CBS.
Gruden, who drew rave reviews for his work with rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, has signed a three-year extension with the Bengals, but he can leave at any time to become a head coach. If, of course, he wants to.
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Guess he doesn’t want to coach Andrew Luck. That’s weird
I was on the fence with him being signed last year but i can truly say i am pumped about having this guy be the OC for the bengals.
How many OCs would turn down an interview for the colts in which they could have peyton manning and andrew luck? not many.
LOYALTY.
good dont need him
I’m not sure it’s loyalty so much as not wanting to get on the Irsay rollercoaster. Plus, why go to Baltimore to try to unravel that trainwreck when he can stay in Cincinnati where there’s a solid team with a decent young quarterback who will only get better?
I hope it’s a defensive minded coach. Like Mike Zimmer.
Gruden..go to the interviews for crying out loud. It’s good experience for when you do want to become a Head Coach.
Love having Jay as the OC. Thanks again for staying!
Very refreshing to see a guy who appears to be coveted showing some loyalty. Gruden wasn’t even in the NFL a year ago and now teams seem to be interested in him as a head coach.
TRUTH IS, he’s good but not ready, AND he’s living off his brothers name. On the other hand, he’s smart enough to realize it. Keep working hard with the team who gave you a shot until you know the landscape of the NFL.
Big mistake by Gruden. Strike while the irons hot. It’s just as easy to be forgotten. At least interview so your names stays out there!
At least one of the Gruden boys knows what loyalty is all about.
Look – it’s a smart move. He doesn’t have enough time coaching at a high level to be a successful NFL Head Coach.
Coaching Arena just isn’t the same. Jim Harbaugh has been an instant success, but he had many years as a Div. 1A Head Coach.
Gruden is going to take his time to really learn the league, gain more credibility and in the mean time, engender good will with the team that finally gave him a shot at the big time with his loyalty.
Nothin’ wrong with that.
Damn, my short list as a Colts fan is Jay Gruden and Rob Chudzinski, so this one stings. Especially when names like Brad Childress are being thrown around. Almost like they want to find 1 of the few coaches who could be worse than Jim Caldwell
Biding his time for when Lewis eventually gets the axe, which has been for the last 5 years.
Hard to imagine anyone missing a chance to at least interview for possible promotion. Especially when you ate employed by perhaps the most dysfunctional organization in the league.
Bengals owner truly believes in honoring your contract and he’s firm about that..no surprise Jay has turn down HC gigs
I’m sure they have an agreement that he’s the next head coach-in waiting. Which is great. Jay has paid his dues in football. As a player, Arena coach, NFL assistant, UFL HC, and now NFL OC. He’ll be rewarded accordingly.
How did he “reject” the Jaguars? You make it sound like they’d already offered him the gig, and then he shut them down.
All that was known is that he was being considered.
Man – what’s next? An article about some kind of financial delinquency with us and our stadium .. oh wait!
What happened to the thought process of interviewing to gain experience in the interview process? There’s no guarantee Jay would get the job. He should at least sit and interview for it.
Oh darn.
Maybe there are other considerations, such as family, that makes it preferable to stay in Cincinnati at this time…or, maybe it’s the chilli.
Maybe he knows something about Marvin Lewis’s future that we don’t? “Coach in waiting”?……
Picking the right team and the right time to be a HC is important
Mike Singletary
Set himself back by accepting the SF HC job.
Ken Whisenhunt
Refused Al Davis and wisely waited for the Cadinals. Should make ten years as HC.
Josh Mcdaniels
Poster boy. Need I say more?
I could go on but you get the Idea
By the way… colts and defense… two words that should not be used in the same sentence.
Good deal! Colts can do better anyway.
Smart choice.
If Gruden is destined to be a good NFL head coach, a few more years experience will make him even better when does he takes the next step.
If he gets in over his head, he might never get another chance.
Remember how Sean Payton passed on the Raiders, spent another year at Dallas, then went to New Orleans? Good example there.
Jay Gruden is playing his cards like a true pro.
He has been in the NFL for ONE season. True, he was an unpaid intern for the Buccaneers several years ago, but he has no experience. Has hasn’t ever got the chance to even coach during a training camp.
One would think Dalton/Green will only get better in year two, and the Bengals were a playoff team in year one. One would think the offense will take a step forward next year.
Also the timing for these jobs must be right. Coming into Indy, you have a potentially ugly situation with Manning, (others have failed in similar situations – Jimmy Johnson with Marino Dan Reaves with Elway among others). Plus Indy won 2 games, figures to lose several players to FA and are in complete rebuild mode. How long of a leash does a coach get going to a team used to winning 10+ and spending several years at 4-5 wins?
Jacksonville is also a mess. You have one great player (MJD) a rookie QB in Gabbert who looked shaky, and a sub-par team.
Coach a year or two longer as OC, and get a chance for the Cowboys, Eagles, Chargers or someone of that caliber
I think he should have interviewed for the experience. I do think that if the Bungles decide to let Lewis go he’d be the one in the drivers seat.
He’s waiting for the Bears job. It’s ok. Lovie knows he has 1-2 years left, tops.
He might just have a chance to the Bengals if Zimmer leaves this year and the Bengals get of to a shaky start next year. He is probably thinking big picture. It’s funny how these things work out sometimes. I bet he will be a head coach sooner than most think.
Well he’s obviously got teams lining up to interview him. So theres no rush to jump into a job. He’s in a good situation to further improve his reputation among league circles. Dalton and especially Green will only get better, and he can really start to open up that offense. Cincy got a kings ransom for Palmer, expect them to add talent to the offense, particularly in the RB dept. Imagine a move up for Richardson !
This guy knows that Marvin Lewis could be fired if this team has a bad season and that he will get the job. I expect this to happen after next season.
He stayed for skyline