Raiders to announce Gruden hiring Tuesday

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Oakland Raiders never really recovered from the decision to trade Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay 16 years ago. There was a Super Bowl trip the following season when Oakland lost to Gruden’s Buccaneers and another National Football League playoff appearance in 2016 under Jack Del Rio that garnered little optimism because quarterback Derek Carr was injured. But there has been mostly a run of losing seasons under nine coaches as only the Cleveland Browns had lost more games during Gruden’s 16-year absence than the Raiders. Owner Mark Davis hopes that will all change now that he has finally lured Gruden back for a second stint as the team’s coach. A person with knowledge of the team’s plans said the Raiders are planning a news conference Tuesday to announce that Gruden is leaving the broadcast booth to come back to coaching. The Raiders fired Del Rio following a disappointing six-win season and talk immediately turned to Gruden, who has been out of coaching since being fired by Tampa Bay following the 2008 campaign. Gruden has spent the past nine years as the lead analyst for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” telecast. He is scheduled to work his final game Saturday in Kansas City when the Chiefs take on the Tennessee Titans in a playoff game. Then, after that, he will head to Oakland with the task of resurrecting Carr after a down year and getting the Raiders back to the postseason. Oakland won 12 games in 2016 to earn Del Rio a four-year extension but the team fell flat this season. The offence regressed after the decision to fire co-ordinator Bill Musgrave and replace him with untested Todd Downing. The defence struggled mightily before a lateseason switch from fired co-ordinator Ken Norton Jr. to play-caller John Pagano. That led to the decision to fire Del Rio following his third season and go hard after Gruden. ESPN reported that Gruden will receive a 10-year deal that could be worth close to $100 million. Gruden has already started putting together a staff with Cincinnati defensive co-ordinator Paul Guenther among those expected to join him with the Raiders. Gruden spent four seasons as coach in Oakland from 1998 to 2001. After leading the Raiders to 8-8 records his first two years, Gruden helped the team reach the AFC title game following the 2000 season and got Oakland back into the playoffs the following season. His tenure ended shortly after the “Tuck Rule” loss to the New England Patriots when he was traded the following month to Tampa Bay for two first-round draft picks, two second-rounders and $8 million. Gruden beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl in his first season with the Buccaneers but didn’t win another playoff game for Tampa Bay in his final six seasons. He has a 95-81 career record.