The deal is done — Raiders rehire coach Jon Gruden.
Team announces coach hire after his last ESPN game
The reunion between Jon Gruden and the Raiders is official.
The Raiders announced Gruden as their next head coach Saturday evening, after the conclusion of Gruden’s last broadcast with ESPN. It capped an eventful week that began with reports emerging last Saturday night of the Raiders’ pursuit of Gruden and ends with his much-anticipated return to Oakland.
An introductory news conference for Gruden is scheduled for noon Tuesday.
Gruden’s return to coaching comes almost 20 years to the day after the Raiders hired him for the first time. Then-owner
Al Davis made a 34-yearold Gruden the 12th head coach in Raiders history in January 1998. Gruden compiled a 38-26 regularseason record with two postseason appearances in four years before Davis traded him to Tampa Bay following the 2001 season.
Gruden won a Super Bowl in his first year with the Buccaneers, defeating the Raiders, and was 57-55 in the regular season over seven years with Tampa Bay. He joined the “Monday Night Football” crew in 2009, and had since reportedly turned down the advances of multiple teams offering him coaching jobs.
As it became clear that Gruden, 54, was ready to return to the sideline, though, the Raiders and owner Mark Davis made their own intentions clear. Previous head coach Jack Del Rio was fired last Sunday shortly after the conclusion of a 6-10 season, despite signing a four-year extension with the team in early 2017.
The Raiders’ offer to Gruden, meanwhile, as reported by ESPN, is for 10 years and about $100 million, and includes four-year deals for coordinators Gruden reportedly has already lined up.
Those numbers reflect Gruden’s history with the Raiders. During his first stint in Oakland, Gruden became a popular figure for his fiery personality and facial contortions while leading a turnaround. Inheriting a club that won four games the previous season, Gruden brought an attitude expressed in his trademark scowl and guided the Raiders to consecutive postseason appearances in his last two seasons.
Since trading Gruden, the Raiders have gone through nine head coaches who combined for a .359 winning percentage (92-164) and two playoff appearances in 16 seasons.
The question, now: How will Gruden transition back into coaching after a lengthy absence? Gruden has stayed around the NFL through his work on “Monday Night Football” and on his “QB Camp” series on ESPN. Current Raiders quarterback Derek Carr appeared on the latter show in 2014, and seemed to leave a positive impression on Gruden.
During the segment, Gruden told Carr he would draft him over Carr’s older brother, David, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2002. “I want you,” Gruden said. “What do you say about that?” Answered Carr: “I appreciate that. Let’s go win some championships.”
One of Gruden’s top priorities will be re-establishing Carr, who struggled in 2017. Carr’s passer rating fell from 96.7 in 2016 to 86.4, and he matched a career-high with 13 interceptions for an offense that ranked 17th in yards per game.
ESPN began its broadcast of Saturday’s playoff between the Chiefs and Titans by acknowledging Gruden’s impending departure — even as Gruden did not. Play-by-play man Sean McDonough opened the broadcast by bidding farewell to Gruden in the booth and saying, “We congratulate you as you head back to the sidelines with the Raiders.”
Gruden thanked McDonough while adding, “Nothing’s official yet.” As the game ended, though, and McDonough again wished Gruden well, Gruden made no such stipulation.
Cameras then cut to ESPN’s on-field crew, as analyst and former Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson could be heard yelling.
“Welcome home, Jon!” Woodson said. “Go, Raiders!”