The rumored reunion between Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders is reportedly just days away as the franchise looks to make a splash following a failed 2017 season.
According to Steve Corkran, previously with the San Jose Mercury News, Gruden will be introduced as the team’s next head coach on Tuesday after Wild Card Weekend.
Breaking: Jon Gruden will be introduced as the #Raiders head coach Tuesday, in a "splashy" news conference, I was informed by a team source.
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) January 5, 2018
This is hardly surprising. After all, following years of Gruden playing it super coy about any and all coaching jobs his name was attached to, he recently made it clear he was not only interested in the Raiders job but that it was likely to happen.
It’s been nearly a decade since Gruden coached in the NFL. He retired following the 2008 season coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has a career record of 95-81 and one Super Bowl title to his credit. That title famously occurred one season after being traded from Oakland to Tampa Bay, where he then proceeded to beat the Raiders for the championship in Super Bowl XXXVII.
There are already whispers that Gruden’s impending arrival in Oakland could ruffle some feathers, most notably those of quarterback Derek Carr. One thing’s for certain, this is the splashiest move the Raiders could have possibly made. It’s likely to be a boom or bust decision that will shape the franchise for years to come.