As rumors continued to swirl about potential NFL head-coaching hires, Jon Gruden tried to keep his name far away from the speculation.
Six head-coaching vacancies opened up by Monday night, but Gruden said he doesn’t plan to return to the sideline in the near future. Instead, he’d rather focus on his job as an analyst for ESPN.
“I don’t want to be considered for any of these jobs,” Gruden said in a phone interview with the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “I don’t want to be considered for anything. There are plenty of good candidates out there. I’m just sick for the guys who can no longer coach their teams. … I’m hoping to do the best I can to hang on to my job.”
Gruden went 95-81 in 11 seasons as head coach for the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won a Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2002, but he hasn’t coached since 2008 when the team fired him.
Gruden’s brother, Jay, is the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator and has been linked to some head-coaching jobs. But Jon Gruden didn’t divulge if his brother will make the jump.
“He’s happy to be at Cincinnati and excited to be in the playoffs,” Gruden said. “I can’t speak for him. … I’m not going to. They’re in the playoffs, and I’m obviously biased toward my brother.”
