Jon Gruden Speaks Out About Potential Return to Coaching

Speaking at an event at Gateway Bank in Florida on Friday, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden said that he wants to return to coaching.

From the Ocala Star Banner's Carlos E. Medina:

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While Gruden’s career as a broadcaster has been successful, he doesn’t deny that he would like to coach again.

“I haven’t lost a game in 3½ years,” he said. “But no, I would like to give coaching one more try.”

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Gruden spent 11 seasons as a head coach, first with the Oakland Raiders and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He compiled a 95-81 record (.540 winning percentage) and won a Super Bowl over the Raiders in his first season with the Bucs in 2002.

Current head coaches Mike Tomlin and Gus Bradley both worked under Gruden during his tenure with Tampa Bay.

But after starting the 2008 season at 9-3, the Bucs lost the last four games of the season and missed the playoffs. Gruden was fired after the season and hasn't returned to the NFL since.

Of course, he landed on his feet pretty well.

The 50-year-old has been working for ESPN since 2009, enjoying success as the color analyst on Monday Night Football and the host of Jon Gruden's QB Camp.

In addition to his work as an analyst, Gruden still has plenty of ties to the NFL. He has been rumored for jobs with the Dallas Cowboys and Raiders, among others, and his brother Jay is currently the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Interestingly enough, this news comes at the same time that Gruden's former team is in the midst of an ugly spiral downward.

The Bucs, a team with high expectations at the start of the season, are 0-7. Head coach Greg Schiano, in his second year, is still employed, but it's an ugly situation right now, and his seat is hotter than anyone else's in the league.

If Gruden really wanted to, he could probably find a job somewhere in the NFL in the next couple of years. The rumors of the past couple years suggest he has options.

For now, though, the colorful NFL analyst, who told the Associated Press in September that he doesn't miss the game because he is "so very close to it," seems content with his current job.

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