After finishing with a 3-14 record, tied for the worst in the NFL, Aaron Glenn felt he had no choice but to make swift changes to his coaching staff. While moving on from as many as seven coaches wasn’t expected, now the New York Jets have been working overtime, trying to make up for their mistakes.
The Jets have reached out to several different candidates, including some who weren’t even on the radar when the coaching cycle began. That includes former Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich. But he’s not the only fired NFL head coach who got a call from the Jets this offseason.
According to The Athletic‘s Jets insider Zack Rosenblatt, the Jets even recently contacted Jon Gruden about an unknown role on their coaching staff. But Gruden wasn’t interested.
“The New York Jets reached out to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden about taking a role on Aaron Glenn’s staff, according to multiple league sources. Gruden, according to those sources, declined the team’s overtures.”
The Athletic on Jon Gruden/Jets
Gruden famously became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sean McVay and Mike Tomlin have since surpassed him). Gruden led his teams to a 117-112 record across 15 seasons with the Raiders and Buccaneers.
But he resigned from coaching the Raiders just five weeks into the 2021 season after some of his controversial emails emerged in the public eye. Gruden worked as a consultant with the New Orleans Saints in 2023, but otherwise, he has not had an NFL position since.
Yet, the 62-year-old presumably has a lot to offer, especially for an inexperienced coaching staff led by Glenn. Though we don’t blame him for turning down a position on an offense that is without a clear starting quarterback. Then again, being a key component of a Jets team that is in desperate need of a sharp turnaround could have been the lifeline he needed to get back in good graces with the NFL.
Either way, if there is a future for Gruden in the NFL, it won’t be with the Jets in 2026.
Related: New York Jets Close to Hiring Former NFL Head Coach, Super Bowl Winner
