If/when Jon Gruden continues his coaching career, it apparently won’t be at the University of Tennessee.
According to Jimmy Hyams of WNML in Knoxville, Gruden recently informed the school that he won’t be taking the job. Hyams also reports that no contract was offered.
The second part is likely meaningless. In coaching, contracts typically aren’t offered until contracts are poised to be accepted. The contract is merely the list of the terms to which the coach and the program have verbally agreed. Gruden and UT never agreed verbally on terms, so there was no need to write it all up.
Indeed, the Chattanooga Times Free Press had reported that an offer had been made to Gruden, which can be very different from a formal contract. The talks may have broken down regarding the money that would have been available to Gruden for hiring a staff.
Still, Gruden likely was never truly interested in coaching college kids. He’s an NFL coach, and he’s destined to return to the NFL. Flirting with UT merely ensures that he’ll get his choice of seats when the annual game of musical chairs begins on December 31.