Jon Gruden Reportedly Turned Down Interest from Aaron Glenn, Jets for Role amid Staff Shakeup

The New York Jets are going through an overhaul of their coaching staff this offseason, but that reportedly will not include bringing in Jon Gruden.

Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported Tuesday that New York "reached out" to the former Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach to gauge his interest in joining Aaron Glenn's staff only to be told he didn't have any.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported Tuesday that Glenn parted ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand after just one season a mere four days after he fired seven assistant coaches. New York is also still looking for a defensive coordinator after firing Steve Wilks with three games left in the 2025 campaign.

Cimini noted Engstrand believed he would be returning in his role, while Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported a handful of the coaches who were fired were surprised because they too thought they were returning.

The timing of all the moves leaves the Jets with a number of openings at a time when many other teams around the league have been going through candidates for weeks and making hires.

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Gruden would have been a high-profile addition seeing how he was a head coach for 15 seasons. He went 117-112 during his eight years with the Raiders and seven years with the Buccaneers and most notably won the Super Bowl with Tampa Bay during the 2002 campaign.

The 62-year-old hasn't coached in the NFL since he resigned as head coach of the Raiders five games into the 2021 season.

Prior to becoming a head coach, Gruden was an offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles and an offensive assistant for the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. He could have provided another offensive voice to the team that is now looking for a new OC.

Cimini reported former Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich is a candidate for the OC position, while Glenn has met with at least nine candidates for the DC job.

Whoever is hired as the OC will be tasked with leading a turnaround for an offense that was 29th in the league in both scoring and total yards in 2025 as it cycled through Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook under center while star receiver Garrett Wilson was limited to seven games because of injury.