NFL Rumors: Jon Gruden Eyed by ‘Multiple Teams’ as HC Candidate Ahead of Hiring Cycle

Adam WellsDecember 31, 2024

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Less than one week away from the end of the 2024 NFL regular season, at least some of the teams that have already fired their head coach or are planning to make a coaching change could have Jon Gruden on their radar as a potential replacement.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (starts at 4:55 mark), Gruden is being eyed by “multiple teams” in the upcoming hiring cycle.

Tom Pelissero @TomPelisseroFrom @gmfb: Breaking down some big names in the upcoming coaching carousel with @PSchrags — and one surprise name you may hear. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/t3dfHIiCu2

Gruden hasn’t worked in a full-time capacity in the NFL since October 2021 when he resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

The move came amid a report from Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman of the New York Times that uncovered emails from Gruden’s past in which he used racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language.

Some of the language in the emails was directed specifically at people within the NFL, including Gruden denouncing “the emergence of women as referees, the drafting of a gay player and the tolerance of players protesting during the playing of the national anthem.”

Gruden also used racist tropes to describe then-NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith.

The 61-year-old Gruden filed a lawsuit against the NFL in November 2021 alleging the league forced him to resign by leaking his emails. As recently as October, the Nevada Supreme Court announced it will review the lawsuit and reconsider findings after previously dismissing the case.

Gruden visited the New Orleans Saints for several offseason practices in May 2023, but then-head coach Dennis Allen said at the time they just brought him in to help with the acclimation of Derek Carr after he signed with the team as a free agent.

The Saints are one of three teams that currently have a head-coaching vacancy after firing Allen on Nov. 4. The Chicago Bears and New York Jets also made in-season coaching firings.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported in February that some people within the NFL viewed Gruden as a potential offensive play-caller for teams looking for a new option going into the 2024 season.

Even though nothing came of that, Gruden appears to be on the radar for some teams that plan on making a change when this season ends. He went 22-31 with no playoff appearances in his most recent stint with the Raiders from 2018 to ’21.