Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has reportedly returned to coaching football, assisting the New Orleans Saints and quarterback Derek Carr prepare for the 2023 season.
Gruden resigned as Raiders’ head coach on Oct. 11, 2021, after The New York Times released emails that contained him using misogynistic and homophobic language repeatedly in communication with league officials. Previously, he was found to have used a racist trope in 2011 to describe NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith.
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Since his resignation, Gruden has been out of the spotlight with an active lawsuit against the NFL, claiming the league strategically released his emails to the New York Times and destroyed his coaching career.
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With the 59-year-old no longer on network television and unlikely to become a head coach at any level, he is now reportedly consulting with the Saints and helping his former quarterback.
According to Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune, Gruden spent the last week working with the Saints’ offense and coaching staff. New Orleans brought him in because of his familiarity with Carr and is helping the team install an offense around Carr’s strengths.
Carr had some of his best seasons with Gruden serving as his head coach. From 2019-’21, he posted a 98.4 quarterback rating with a 68.7 percent completion rate, 12,961 passing yards and a 71-31 TD-INT ratio across 49 starters.
Not only did Carr have a considerable amount of success in Las Vegas with Gruden, the two also had a very close relationship.
“What people don’t understand is how close we are. Not just football, but off the field,” Carr said. Whether it’s him texting videos of his dog and what they’re doing, and I’m sending him videos of my kids hitting baseballs in their first game. People don’t understand that. And we’re going on four years together … But we honestly care about one another. We love one another. We grind together. He pushes me. I push him. It’s a great relationship.”
Derek Carr in 2021 on his relationship with Jon Gruden
The Saints, like many NFL teams, often bring in consultants during the offseason to assist with coaching up players on both sides of the ball. Gruden’s familiarity with Carr and his understanding for how to build an offense around the veteran quarterback’s strengths certainly helped influence the Saints’ decision to bring him in.
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While it’s highly unlikely Gruden ever becomes an assistant coach in the NFL again, his work with New Orleans this summer is a reminder to teams that he still wants to coach.