3 reasons why the Raiders shouldn’t re-hire Jon Gruden
When it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders’ hunt for a new head coach, a lot of names have been and will be mentioned. In actuality, Jon Gruden, a candidate, is said to be the last full-time employee.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter, Raiders owner Mark Davis would jump at the opportunity to re-hire Gruden if the NFL would allow it.
These are some of the reasons why I think that would be a very bad choice.
Control of Roster
Gruden is an excellent coach, but as a general manager and talent scout, he falls short. When he was given the authority to appoint Bruce Allen as the team’s general manager towards the end of his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that became an issue.
Chucky committed a similar error during his second stint with the Silver and Black when he appointed Mike Mayock as general manager and assumed complete control over the roster. Mayock acknowledged that Gruden was his boss, and there was constant gossip that the coach had the last say over the team’s early-round draft selections. The Raiders gained notoriety during that period for selecting first-round busts in players like Clelin Ferrell, Damon Arnette, Alex Leatherwood, and Henry Ruggs, among others.
Why then would things be any different this time? In the event that Gruden is appointed head coach, he will also demand complete control over the roster.
Additionally, Las Vegas has attempted—and both failed—the model in which the general manager and head coach are inseparable and the former has the final say in hiring cycles. Although Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels had been friends for a long time, that obviously didn’t work.
It’s time to try a different strategy and at least let the general manager lead the charge when it comes to personnel decisions.
As noted in the tweet and post from Moe Moton of Bleacher Report, Gruden performed appallingly towards the end of the season. The 2019 squad was 6-4 and had a chance to qualify for the playoffs before dropping five of its final six games. In contrast, the 2018 season was a total disaster with just four wins. Essentially, nothing changed from the previous year when Las Vegas won six of the first nine games before losing five of the final seven and missing the postseason once more.
What’s even more damning for Gruden is how the 2021 campaign ended. That season, he infamously resigned in October due to the notorious email scandal and the Raiders finally finished strong. They won five out of their last seven games, including four in a row to finish the year and make the playoffs.
RUMOR: Raiders’ Mark Davis secretly eyeing shocking Jon Gruden move
At the end of this season, the Las Vegas Raiders will hire a new head coach. even if the team is led to the postseason by Antonio Pierce. In light of this, there are rumors circulating that Mark Davis would be open to bringing Jon Gruden back to Las Vegas.
Remember that these are currently just rumors. But according to Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated, the Raiders owner might actually want Gruden to return to the position of head coach. On The Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast, he discussed what he has heard from people in the league.
“I’m going to tell you, a lot of people think that Mark Davis would love to have Jon Gruden return because he trusts him more than Tom Brady and Jim Gray combined. I’m getting word from a number of people in the league that the NFL would obediently go back and rehire Jon if he were to drop his lawsuit. Everyone is always bringing up Jon Gruden.
Carpenter seems confident that the NFL’s current lawsuit against Jon Gruden will not end well. If so, Gruden’s decision to drop the lawsuit could benefit the Raiders if he decides to come back.
Many people think that Roger Goodell will be fired by Jon Gruden’s lawsuit, which will also make a lot of people look bad. Given that Nevada courts are still in favor of [Gruden’s lawsuit] and that it will soon go to potential discovery, you can bet that Jon will be able to ask any questions he wants during that process. It need not even be about him. Jon Gruden is aware of everyone’s whereabouts in the NFL, so he can say, “I want to talk to this owner, I want to talk to that owner, I’d like to talk to Roger Goodell, or whomever.”