Mike Gundy reveals which NFL job he once interviewed for

Sep 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy looks on from the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Heinz Field. The Cowboys won 59-21. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy seems like an unlikely candidate for an NFL coaching job, but apparently there was once a very real chance of that happening.

On Monday, Gundy revealed that he interviewed three times for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching position after the 2011 season. Ultimately, Gundy decided that the NFL was not for him and remained at Oklahoma State.

Bit of a bombshell today from Mike Gundy: He interviewed three times for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job after the 2011 season before deciding the NFL wasn’t for him.

— Kelly Hines (@kellyintulsa) October 10, 2022

Gundy, then off a 12-1 season, would have been the successor to Raheem Morris had he landed the job. Instead, he signed an eight-year contract extension with the Cowboys and has not been linked to the NFL since. The Buccaneers were clearly looking to the college ranks at the time, as they ultimately wound up making the ill-fated Greg Schiano hire that offseason.

Gundy seems like he’s ill-suited to the NFL, but he perhaps realized as much and stuck it out with Oklahoma State. Things have not always been perfect there, but he’s almost certainly better off now than he would have been had he gone to Tampa Bay at that time.