Jon Gruden’s return to the Raiders has not gone well. So not well that a loss on Sunday against the Broncos on Sunday will drag his record over the last three years to 18-30 — and it would drop him to 113-111 for his regular-season career, just two games over .500.
Win or lose today, the late-season firing of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has others around the league monitoring the Raiders situation to see whether other Raiders employees on the coaching staff or in the front office will be fired after the season ends. Without naming names (do we need to?), pretty much anyone and everyone could be in position to be replaced, as Gruden apparently looks for a way to shift blame from himself to others.
Of course, it doesn’t matter if all the blame is on Gruden. He’s going nowhere, not with owner Mark Davis placing the ongoing employment of Gruden as the coach over winning games.
Whether that changes as the Raiders get deeper into the 10-year contract that Gruden signed three years ago remains to be seen, especially since it’s believed that the full $100 million isn’t guaranteed. Regardless, a fourth straight failed season could put Gruden under .500 for his career — and it possibly would get Raiders fans to start asking tougher questions about the short- and long-term future of the team.
Unless and until Mark Davis starts asking tough questions, Gruden will remain in place, no matter how much the team struggles.