At this point, it seems a foregone conclusion that the Oakland Raiders will be hiring Jon Gruden for a second go-round heading into the 2018 season. Jack Del Rio announced his own firing just moments after the Raiders lost their final game of 2017 to finish at 6-10, and it seems clear owner Mark Davis is hell bent on getting Gruden back.
However, when asked about this on Tuesday, Gruden — still an analyst for ESPN — had a very amusing response.
“My understanding is they’re interviewing candidates this week and they’re going to let everybody know sometime early next week or whenever they make their decision,” Gruden said, per Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News. Asked specifically if he was a candidate, Gruden said, “Well, I think I am being considered, yes. I hope I’m a candidate.”
Fingers crossed.
Really, this is some very strong evidence that Gruden will be announced. He’s never been so forthright about hoping to be a candidate for any job since he retired following the 2008 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For him to acknowledge he wants the job is very telling.
Of course, Gruden is famous for being traded by Oakland to Tampa Bay following the Raiders’ loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional round following the 2001 season. He then went on to win the Super Bowl with the Bucs the very next year, beating Oakland in the process.
In 11 seasons as an NFL head coach, Gruden has a 95-81 record in the regular season and 5-4 record in the postseason.