Jay Gruden has not been mentioned in connection with any of the head coaching vacancies that have opened up across the NFL in recent weeks, but he is hoping teams start showing interest in the near future.
In an appearance on the “RapSheet and Friends” podcast this week, Gruden said he has not stopped studying film since the Washington Redskins fired him five games into the 2019 season. He described not having a coaching job as being a “life-changer” and said he is itching to get back into coaching.
“Hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to talk to some owners and maybe get another opportunity to be a head coach,” Gruden told Ian Rapoport. “I could take a year off if I don’t get that job that I’m looking for, or if I don’t get offered one.”
Gruden went 35-49-1 in five-plus seasons with the Redskins, and he lost his only playoff game. It seems more likely that teams would be interested in him as an offensive coordinator next season, but he says he is not going to simply accept any offer that comes his way. He also said he would be open to joining his brother Jon’s staff with the Raiders, though there are no openings at the moment.
“You just got to make sure you’re with the right people, that’s the most important thing,” Gruden said. “Whatever the opportunity is, whether it’s a coordinator or a head coach, you got to make sure you mesh with the people that you’re working with.”
Some of the reports that came out of Washington around the time Gruden was fired aren’t going to do him any favors, but he’s still only 52. That is young by coaching standards, and it would be unfair to judge him solely on the results he achieved with one of the worst franchises in the NFL.
Gruden may have to take an offensive coordinator job first, but it would not be a surprise if he got another shot to be a head coach at some point.
