Jon Gruden Eyes Return to Coaching in College Football

Gruden has not coached since a 2021 email scandal led to his ouster with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jon Gruden is eyeing a return to coaching after his 2021 ouster from the Las Vegas Raiders due to offensive e-mails that surfaced. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden wants to return to coaching.

In an exclusive interview with Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports, Gruden expressed sincere interest in heading back to the sidelines.

"Yeah, I'm interested in coaching," Gruden said. "My dad was a college coach, I was a college coach at Pitt, my wife was a cheerleader at Tennessee when I met her. Hell yeah, I'm interested in coaching. I know I can help a team. I know I can help young players get better, and I know I can hire a good staff, and that's the only thing I can guarantee. But yeah, I'm very interested in coaching at any level. Period."

While Gruden expressed interest in coaching at any level, the college ranks seems like the most likely path. After all, the Super Bowl-winning coach was ousted from his head-coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 after anti-LGBTQ slurs and discriminatory emails from Gruden centered around commissioner Roger Goodell emerged as part of an investigation into Dan Snyder and the Washington Commanders. The Raiders fired Gruden as a result of the emails that came to light, and Gruden has not coached since.

He's open to listening on college jobs now given the situation that he finds himself in.

"If there's somebody out there that thinks they need a candidate, somebody to come in there, maybe lather it up a little bit, jazz it up a little bit, I'll be down here in Tampa," Gruden told Marcello about college coaching jobs. "I'll be ready to go if needed."

It remains to be seen whether or not a college program will take a chance on Gruden given the disastrous end to his tenure with the Raiders, but if a college program makes a call, he will be ready.

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