When the idea of Andy Reid being fired became realistic earlier this season, there was one name that was discussed among Eagles fans more than any other: Jon Gruden.
As the weeks have gone by, the attention has turned to others like Oregon’s Chip Kelly, Denver’s Mike McCoy and so on.
But less than 24 hours before Black Monday, Gruden’s name has resurfaced. This, from Dan Pompei of the National Football Post and the Chicago Tribune:
People around the NFL who know are convinced Jon Gruden is coming back to coaching this year, provided the right situation presents itself. I’ve been told Gruden feels he needs to come back now if he’s ever going to do it. He already has been away from the game for four years, and it becomes increasingly difficult for a coach to return the longer he is away. The right situation for Gruden very well could be in Philadelphia. People close to him think he has a good chance of landing there.
Of course, there are many questions here. One, would Gruden want to go to a team where someone else is in charge of personnel? We should get clarification in the coming days from Jeffrey Lurie, but it appears that Howie Roseman is staying put and will serve as the owner’s right-hand man during the coaching search.
The other question is: What will the market be like for Gruden? No coach has ever won a Super Bowl with one team and gone on to win another with a second team. But just because it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean it can’t happen. There figures to be around eight or 10 openings in the next couple days.
Gruden has a career 95-81 (.540) record as a head coach with the Tampa Bay Bucs and Oakland Raiders. His teams made the playoffs five times in 14 seasons, and Gruden got a Super Bowl ring with the Bucs in 2002.
As always, a reminder that you can find all the latest coaching buzz in our special section.
Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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