The New York Jets made significant changes to the coaching staff this offseason, including at offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. With all the vacancies unfilled, a report recently surfaced that New York reached out to Jon Gruden about working for the team.
Days after Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported that the Jets reached out to Gruden about the idea of joining Aaron Glenn’s coaching staff, the former NFL head coach refuted those rumors during an appearance on WDAE this week.
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“There’s a lot of reports we’re not going to get into. There’s a lot of stupid rumors out there. Some of these reports are ridiculous. Let’s just say that there was never anything from the Jets and I wish them well in their search for a new offensive coordinator.”
Jon Gruden on the report he was offered a job on the New York Jets coaching staff
Since stepping down as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach midway through the 2021 NFL season, Gruden has only done consulting and advisory work as a coach. He spent part of the 2023 season as a consultant with the New Orleans Saints and has assisted other clubs during training camp.
Back in 2024, Gruden told The New York Times that he’d like the opportunity to return to coaching in the NFL again. Granted, he would likely need it to be under the right circumstances and a situation where he would be in the best position for success to get his career back on track.
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New York, with Glenn on the hot seat in 2026 and the roster in a dire state, wouldn’t offer that. However, per Gruden, it’s also clear the organization never made an inquiry about him joining the Jets coaching staff. It is possible that, similar to what happened years ago to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter regarding the Cleveland Browns’ interest in Condoleezza Rice, the Jets used this to fish out potential leaks in the organization.
