Report: Jon Gruden tells NFL owner he is not returning to coach this year

As is customary this time of year, Jon Gruden’s name has been tossed around in connection with some head coaching vacancies. But apparently the current ESPN analyst has no intention of returning to coaching this year.

NFL Media’s Mike Silver reports that Gruden told at least one owner that he’s not planning to coach this year:

Jon Gruden has told at least one owner he has no intention of returning to coaching this year

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 1, 2017

This matches what Gruden said during an appearance on “Mike & Mike” a week and a half ago.

Although Gruden has not coached since 2008, teams looking for a home run hire often have interest in him. After all, there aren’t too many former Super Bowl-winning head coaches available, so they figure it’s worth checking out. And there were reports that Gruden would listen to a pitch from the Rams.

But Gruden has said he is happy and comfortable serving as an analyst for ESPN. He’s heard by millions every week calling “Monday Night Football,” he has his “Gruden Grinder,” and he hosts a predraft QB camp. The guy gets paid like an NFL coach and doesn’t have to deal with a fraction of the stress or competition. Why wouldn’t he love what he’s doing?