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NFL insider: ‘Keep an eye on Jon Gruden’ in 2025 head coaching cycle

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•12/31/24•

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Jon Gruden
Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden takes the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

An NFL insider believes Jon Gruden could return to the league as a head coach in 2025. While appearing on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, Tom Pelissero revealed Gruden as the surprise name in the head coaching cycle that hasn’t been heard in the last few months.

“Keppy an eye on Jon Gruden. We have not seen Gruden on a full-time basis in the NFL since back in 2021 when he resigned after offensive emails were leaked to the media that he had sent while working as an analyst at ESPN,” Pelissero said. “However, he has remained engaged. We saw him on the sideline with the Bucs owners earlier this fall. We saw him working with the Saints back in training camp last year.

“My understanding is if he wanted the Saints offensive coordinator job last year, he could have had it. He ultimately decided he was not going to do that. But I can tell you though, it’s not to say for sure that Jon Gruden will be back. But there are multiple teams that have been doing extensive homework on Jon Gruden the situation, him as a coach, him as a person. I would not be surprised at all if in the coming weeks, you see Jon Gruden’s name popping up interviewing for a head coaching job.”

Looking at Jon Gruden’s head coaching career

Gruden’s last head coaching job was with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders from 2018 to 2021. During his time with the Raiders, Gruden didn’t have a winning season and his best year was 2020 when the Raiders went 8-8 and finished second in the AFC West. Gruden resigned after five games into the 2021 season.

That was Gruden’s second stint as the Raiders head coach. His first came in 1998, and he was there for four seasons. During that run, Gruden won two AFC West titles and led the Raiders to the AFC Championship game in 2000.

After the 2001 season, Gruden was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and led the team to a Super Bowl during the 2002 season. He went on to coach in Tampa for six more seasons, and the team won the NFC South twice during that span (also won it in 2002). In his career, Gurden has compiled a 117-112 record and a 5-4 record in the postseason.