Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator is widely viewed as one of the top minds in the National Football League ahead of the upcoming NFL coaching carousel. While Flores’ ongoing civil lawsuit against the NFL will seemingly hurt his chances of landing a head-coaching job, the same can’t be said for Jon Gruden.
Gruden, age 61, has been out of the league since he resigned as the Las Vegas Raiders coach midway through the 2021 season after leaked emails showed him using racist, misogynistic and homophobic language regarding various people inside the league.
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- Jon Gruden coaching record: 117-112 as head coach, 5-5 in NFL playoffs
Shortly after, Gruden filed a lawsuit against the NFL alleging the league forced him to resign as Raiders coach by strategically and selectively leaking his emails. The former Super Bowl winner suggested the NFL wanted him out of football and intentionally leaked his emails, while protecting others inside the league.
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As recently as October 2024, it was announced that the Nevada Supreme Court would review Gruden’s lawsuit against the NFL. However, it seems that won’t be impacting the level of interest in Gruden from teams during the NFL coaching carousel.
Tom Pellisero of NFL.com reported earlier this week that “multiple teams” have looked into Gruden as a potential candidate for their top coaching vacancy. It sparked NFL rumors about a potential return to coaching and the interest seems to be genuine.
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A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reports that Gruden is “expected to be one of the hot candidates among teams” seeking a new head coach this offseason.
In his last stint as head coach, Gruden failed to record a winning season in his first three years with the Raiders. However, the team did improve from 4-12 in 2018 to 7-9 the following year and 8-8 in his last full season at the helm.
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The NFL itself might take some issue this offseason, from an optics perspective, if Gruden lands a head-coaching job and it would face even more criticism if he’s hired but Flores’ lawsuit prevents him from landing a job. With no more than six to seven coaching jobs likely to be available this offseason, Gruden’s options will probably be limited.