Jon Gruden Responds to Coaching Rumors: 'I Haven't Talked to Anybody'

ESPN Monday Night Football announcer Jon Gruden said Wednesday he hasn't been in contact with any NFL teams or college programs regarding a head coaching vacancy.

Appearing on ESPN's Mike & Mike (h/t Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith), Gruden left the door open for a coaching return:

"I haven't talked to anybody. All I really have in my life is my family and football. That's about it. I'm real sensitive to the coaches that are out there coaching, so I don't speculate. I just love football. I'm trying to hang on to the job I have. I'm very fortunate to be with the people I'm with. I don't know what's gonna happen in the future. I just know this: I'm gonna continue to give my best effort to the game, stay prepared, and I love Monday Night Football and don't plan on leaving but, as you know in life, you never say never to nothing."

Gruden hasn't coached since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired him after the 2008 season, but he has been linked to several jobs since.

Most recently, a return to the Bucs has hit the rumor mill, as has a potential foray into the college ranks at the University of Tennessee.

Ira Kaufman of the Bucs & More podcast recently said on Pro Football Talk Live that he could see a Bucs-Gruden reunion if head coach Dirk Koetter gets fired.

There is an opening at Tennessee following Butch Jones' firing, and while Gruden has been linked to the Volunteers before, Scott Roussel of FootballScoop.com reported Gruden has no interest in the Tennessee job.

The 54-year-old Gruden spent 11 seasons as an NFL head coach with the Oakland Raiders and Bucs, posting a record of 95-81.

He made five playoff appearances, which included leading the Buccaneers to a championship win over the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Gruden has been the color commentator for Monday Night Football since 2009, and thanks to the extension he signed in 2014, he is under contract through 2021.