As the fire Butch Jones watch crowd continues to swell following a fourth straight loss by Tennessee Saturday, a new report suggests the university has not been idle on this front. According to Oliver Connolly of The Read Optional, the Vols have “offered over $10 million a year to Jon Gruden.”
Gruden likely has little interest in going back down to the college ranks. He’s been linked to numerous NFL head coaching vacancies in the past few years but has shot down those rumors in the past. It seems highly unlikely he’d head back to the place where he started as a graduate assistant, way back in 1986.
Still, this rumored interest in Gruden, and the price tag associated with it, shows just how desperate Tennessee is to turn things around on the gridiron.
Tennessee has underwhelmed in a major way since Butch Jones took over for Derek Dooley in 2013. And things are devolving quickly now that the program is 3-5 and hasn’t won a conference game since last year.
It seems like only a matter of time before Jones is fired. But we’ve been saying that for a handful of weeks now. Perhaps those in charge of these matters are hoping they can offer up a huge prize in exchange for the season of misery and are waiting until they secure said prize before letting Jones go.
All the while, Gruden continues to look like he’s enjoying himself in the booth. Don’t hold your breath on this, Vols fans.