Jon Gruden a ‘candidate to watch’ for 1 NFL head coach job?

Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden takes the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Gruden was forced to resign as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders more than two years ago, but one reporter recently floated possibility of a team having interest in Gruden this offseason. That team is the Las Vegas Raiders.

Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal recently put together a list of eight possible candidates to become the next head coach of the Raiders. While it may sound ludicrous, Gruden made the list.

Gruden stepped down during the 2021 season after emails were leaked that featured him using racist and homophobic language. He also had negative things to say about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in some of the emails. The 60-year-old has since filed a lawsuit against the NFL, claiming people with the league intentionally leaked the emails in order to force him out.

According to Bonsignore, there are people around the NFL who believe there is a chance the league could allow the Raiders to re-hire Gruden if Gruden agreed to drop his lawsuit.

The NFL wants Gruden’s lawsuit to be handled through arbitration rather than in a public courtroom. Public litigation would lead to discovery, meaning Gruden and the public could gain access to materials obtained as part of the investigation into workplace misconduct with the Washington Commanders. Gruden’s emails leaked as part of that probe. The NFL has consistently refused to publicize the detailed findings of that investigation.

A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10 in Nevada Supreme Court to determine whether Gruden’s lawsuit should be sent to arbitration. If the three-judge panel rules in favor of Gruden, the NFL may be far more motivated to settle rather than risk having to air their dirty laundry in public.

Gruden has largely remained out of the public eye since he resigned. He has been linked to some other jobs, but he is probably waiting to see how his lawsuit turns out before making any career moves.