Jon Gruden has a new career ambition. But the same thing that got him fired from the Raiders is probably going to stand in his way.
The former head coach and Super Bowl winner told The Ira Kaufman Podcast that he wants to transition into a play-by-play broadcasting role. Gruden spent nine years as a color analyst on Monday Night Football before returning to coaching. Now he wants to follow the path Frank Gifford took.
“I was a broadcaster for nine years; hell’s bells,” Gruden said. “I want to be play-by-play. You know, Frank Gifford, he transitioned into the play-by-play role. I would like to transition. I had nine years of watching these guys — [Mike] Tirico. And I’d like to give that a shot, man.”
The 2021 Raiders mess isn’t going away
That dream might be a tough sell. According to NBC Sports’ Mike Florio, Gruden’s ongoing legal fight with the NFL makes it unlikely that any of the league’s broadcast partners would touch him.
“Of course, it could be difficult for Gruden to get a shot with any of the NFL’s current broadcast partners,” Florio wrote. “His tiger-by-the-tail lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell would complicate any such efforts, to say the least.”
Florio did throw out one idea. He suggested someone should hire Gruden for a low-level college game, just to see if he’s got the skills. “Good, bad, or ugly, it would definitely generate more viewers than the telecast would otherwise attract,” Florio wrote.
How we got here
Gruden’s first head coaching job came with the Raiders in 1998. He led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win in 2002, had a few more winning seasons in Tampa, then circled back to Las Vegas. That second stint ended ugly.
He resigned five games into the 2021 season after a series of emails surfaced. According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, those emails — written over a 10-year period — contained racist, misogynistic and anti-gay language. The Raiders were 3-2 at the time.
“I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction,” Gruden said then. “Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”
Since then, Gruden has kept a relatively low profile. He’s been appearing on podcasts and hunting for unique stories, but staying out of the NFL spotlight. The lawsuit against Goodell and the league is still active, which makes any return to broadcasting — especially play-by-play, where he’d need network support — a long shot.
Gruden is clearly itching to get back behind a microphone. But the same trail of emails that ended his coaching career is now blocking his path to the booth.
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