Still a ways to go to get Gruden
It’s possible Raiders and their former coach will not reunite this week
ALAMEDA >> While the Raiders packed up their things Monday to head into the offseason, Jon Gruden was on the other side of the country and not giving up any information about a potential return to the organization that gave him his start as a head coach.
Asked by text message if he could confirm he was in line to be the next coach of the Raiders, Gruden responded, “Happy New Year! Nothing new really.”
It’s possible nothing will happen with Gruden and the Raiders this week, as he is expected to perform his duties as an analyst for ESPN on Saturday for the AFC wild-card game between the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs.
There is also the matter of satisfying the Rooney Rule, which mandates the Raiders interview a minority candidate for a head coaching opening. Neither the Raiders nor Gruden have confirmed him as a candidate, let alone a potential hire.
But that hasn’t stopped Gruden from reportedly looking to assemble a coaching staff, with the New York Daily News reporting his desire to hire New York Jets assistant and former Raiders assistant John Morton as offensive coordinator.
According to NFL Media, Raiders assistants were free to seek other opportunities.
Raiders owner Mark Davis’
public comments were restricted to a single statement an hour after coach Jack Del Rio announced at the podium following a 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that he’d been fired.
General manager Reggie McKenzie has also been unavailable for comment, and it’s not known how his role would be affected by Gruden taking over as head coach. No other candidates have been reported.
The handful of players that trickled in to the locker room were still surprised at Del Rio’s departure while at the same time intrigued by a possible Gruden hiring — even if some of them are not under contract and may not be back with the Raiders.
Gruden coached the Raiders between 19982001, winning AFC West titles in 2000 (12-4) and 2001 (10-6). The Raiders advanced to the AFC Championship game in 2000, losing to the Baltimore Ravens, and were eliminated in the “Tuck Rule” game in New England the following year.
Traded to Tampa Bay for the 2002 season in exchange for two firstround picks, two secondround picks and $8 million, Gruden’s Bucs beat the Raiders 48-21 in the Super Bowl.
“Have they hired anybody yet?” linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. “I thought Jack was a great guy. Enjoyed the time we had together. He wanted me here. I wanted to be here.”
Bowman arrived during the season on a contract that paid him $2.6 million for nine games and will wait and see about the future.
“Let’s wait and see where everything falls,” Bowman said. “But I enjoyed my time here.”
As for the possibility of Gruden taking over, Bowman said “It’s exciting. You know what he’s done in the past. You know he understands the game of football, both sides, and that he has studied the quarterback position inside and out. He’s a guy that’s a well-known critic in this game and coach as well. I look forward to seeing what happens.”
Long-snapper Jon Condo, the longest tenured player on the roster, has heard Gruden rumors before and is willing to wait for absolute confirmation. Condo, 36, played on a oneyear contract this season.
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll believe it when I see it, from all the reports in previous years and stuff like that,” Condo said. “I mean, he may do it, he may not. Looks like he is, but I don’t
“Whoever they bring in has a great team they’re coming to.” — Reggie Nelson, free safety
know. It would be interesting to see him back on the sideline.”
Defensive tackle Justin “Jelly” Ellis, coming off his best season and scheduled for unrestricted free agency, said of the possibility of playing for Gruden, “He’s for sure like a mastermind of this game. It’d be an honor.”
Free safety Reggie Nelson, who completed a twoyear contract and appears unlikely to return at age 34, thinks Gruden or whoever the new coach is will be getting a solid team.
“From what I heard, (Gruden is) a great coach,” Nelson said. “I mean whoever they bring in, they have a great team here. I loved all my teammates here. Everybody was a pro. Whoever they bring in has a great team they’re coming to. There’s a lot of athletes, young guys, eager to play football and want to play football.”
To younger players such as Giorgio Tavecchio, James Cowser and Eddie Vanderdoes, Gruden is known more for his role as an analyst than his days as a coach with the Raiders and Bucs.
“I ran into him in the elevator in Philadelphia, so I hope I made a good first impression,” Tavecchio said.
Referring to Gruden’s weekly Monday night feature, Vanderdoes said, “I guess we’re a bunch of Gruden Grinders now.”
Nelson was drafted as a rookie out of Florida by Jacksonville when Del Rio was the head coach and then brought to the Raiders in 2016 to replace the retired Charles Woodson.
“I was just numb. Coach drafted me and he was my coach,” Nelson said. “I think everybody felt bad. It’s a production business, and we didn’t produce yesterday.”
Condo played for Art Shell, Norv Turner, Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson, Dennis Allen and Tony Sparano before Del Rio came aboard and changed the club’s mindset.
“What Jack has done to bring this organization back to life, so to speak and given in his three years,” Condo said. “We built a good team and (had) some good games. Obviously this year was a disappointment. I think everyone in this locker room would agree to that. You build relationships with all the coaches and for something like this to happen is tough. Life goes on.”