In past years, rumors of a return to coaching by former Raiders and Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden were fueled by others. This year, the rumors primarily are coming from Gruden himself.
It began in July, when Gruden raised the topic of returning to the sideline during a podcast with PewterReport.com. Last week, Gruden broached the topic again, in a conversation with Rich Eisen.
The talk, coupled with reporting from Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com, has sparked a strengthening belief that this year could be the year that Gruden finally returns, possibly as coach of the Buccaneers.
In an appearance on ESPN Radio’s defunct (as of 10:00 a.m. ET) Mike & Mike program, said “you never say never to nothing.” (It’s probably safe for Gruden to say never to becoming an English professor.)
Then came a visit to 710 ESPN in Seattle, given the looming Falcons-Seahawks game on Monday night football. Gruden spontaneously mentioned the University of Tennessee and its beloved Rocky Top, fueling existing rumors that Gruden could become the next coach of the Volunteers. (Kaufman has said it won’t happen.)
With so much smoke coming directly from Gruden, the question becomes what specific fire is he hoping to start? Does he want to coach again, or does he want to finagle another extension from ESPN at a time when the company is hemorrhaging cash and handing out pink slips, with roughly 100 more reportedly expected soon?
This time, it feels different -- primarily because it’s coming from Gruden. He reportedly turned down the Colts earlier this year, in what would have been a pairing with Peyton Manning, who also wasn’t interested in running a team quite yet. The Buccaneers job makes the most sense, and Gruden will be returning in December to be added to the team’s Ring of Honor.
Also, as we’ve been saying on PFT Live and in the PFT PM podcast, don’t rule out the Raiders. A blowout loss to the Patriots on Sunday in Mexico could be the spark that gets owner Mark Davis to realize that the best way to sell tickets next year in Oakland, wherever they may be in 2019, and Las Vegas in 2020 could be to bring back Gruden as the head coach. If Davis senses that the Buccaneers are making a beeline for the coach that took them to their only Super Bowl victory, Davis may decide to move first, bringing back a guy whose impact on the final games in Oakland will be even more significant than Marshawn Lynch’s bump for 2017.
However it plays out, none of this as an accident. As PFT Live producer Rob “Stats” Guerrera (a former Mike & Mike producer) said during Friday’s show, Gruden had a habit of hurling a stream of expletives when told before appearing on the show that Gruden would be asked about coaching rumors. This year, what seems to be an effort by Gruden to tease fans and to generate maximum interest among owners could cause the expletives to be hurled from those who grow weary of lots of talk, unsupported by action.