Jon Gruden’s name seems to come up every season as head coaching vacancies open, but could he actually be interested in a job this time around?
Some of Gruden’s ex-colleagues told Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports that the Los Angeles Rams opening offers “virtually everything (Gruden) would look for” if he were to return to coaching.
But the time could be right on several levels, the ex-colleagues said, with Gruden, 52, providing the kind of resume, sizzle and persona to fit this Hollywood market and with the Rams already in a time of crisis, firing Jeff Fisher in-season less than a year after securing their move from St. Louis.
At the very least, they believe Gruden would be inclined to listen should the Rams reach out. Gruden lost his broadcast partner to another network earlier this year. NFL ratings are down, and while he has thrown himself into broadcasting, certain opportunities could not be discarded out of hand.
Gruden, a quarterback guru, is said to be enamored with Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff. However, he is reportedly paid an insane amount of money at his current gig with ESPN, and convincing him to leave might take a lot.
One school of thought is that Gruden would be more inclined to leave ESPN now that his longtime partner, Mike Tirico, has left for NBC.
