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Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been out of the NFL coaching ranks since 2021, following his second stint, which ended with his resignation. Since then, Gruden hasn’t taken a head coach or any coaching gig, but did have a consultant role with the New Orleans Saints in 2023.
Nonetheless, could Gruden be ditching his media career again for the NFL? That might not happen again. According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, the New York Jets reached out to Gruden about joining Aaron Glenn’s coaching staff.
“The Jets reached out to Jon Gruden about the idea of joining Aaron Glenn’s staff, according to multiple sources,” Rosenblatt wrote on Jan. 27 on X. “Gruden wasn’t interested in the job.”
With the uncertainty of Glenn’s job past this upcoming 2026 NFL season and the Jets’ dysfunction, it comes as no surprise that Gruden decided against taking any job with New York. Moreover, the Jets are having issues filling key positions on their coaching staff.
“Now, the offensive coordinator job is open and the Jets will have to go through the full process — including Rooney Rule requirements — to find a new play caller,” Rosenblatt wrote in his article published on Jan. 27. “Former Colts and Panthers head coach Frank Reich is considered a top candidate for the job, according to league and team sources.
“The Jets also still have a vacancy at defensive coordinator, as well as other spots on Glenn’s staff, after a month of turmoil: quarterback coach, offensive passing game coordinator, linebackers coach, defensive line coach and other defensive staff positions.”
Latest on Raiders Head Coach Search
Meanwhile, Gruden’s former team, the Raiders, are looking for its next head coach. In the latest update on the Silver and Black’s search for their new head coach, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Jan. 27 that the front office is nowhere close to finding their guy.
“The Las Vegas Raiders are still planning on another interview with a candidate this week,” Russini wrote on X. “They have yet to make a decision at head coach.”
All eyes are on the Denver Broncos’ Davis Webb and the Seattle Seahawks’ Klint Kubiak as Las Vegas look to go for a young, offensive-minded head coach. Still, it will be interesting to see if the Raiders do hire one of those two.
Next Las Vegas Coach Needs to Develop Fernando Mendoza
All focus on who becomes the Raiders’ next head coach will be on developing the projected No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza. Moreover, with Tom Brady as the team’s minority owner, it would be a bad look for the best QB ever to play the position if Las Vegas were to fumble the development of Mendoza.
As a result, Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Fitz believes there’s pressure on Brady to ensure that Mendoza becomes the team’s franchise QB.
“Tom Brady himself needs to make sure that the infrastructure is taking care of his quarterback,” Fitz said on the Jan. 23 edition of “Yahoo Sports Daily.” “Tom Brady needs to make sure the person that knows what it takes for a quarterback to be surrounded with the right things needs to damn well make sure that the team he calls himself an owner of has that very infrastructure.
“If the Raiders don’t get it right with Fernando Mendoza, if they ruin Fernando Mendoza, not the other way around. If the Raiders ruin Fernando Mendoza, I’m looking squarely at you, Tom Brady.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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