Jon Gruden has agreed to a multi-year contract, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. However, it’s not the job many people expected.
Just a day earlier, former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason mentioned that Gruden was interested in becoming a head coach again, saying there was a good chance he’d return to the sidelines by 2026 at the latest.
Esiason said, “Now, all of a sudden, in the last couple weeks, that name is out there all over the place. Is it a realistic situation that he would want to get back into football?
I’m telling you right now — a couple of calls last night — I can confirm that he definitely wants to get back in 100 percent. And if it’s not this year, it’s definitely next year. But he’s coming back. He’s definitely coming back.”
While Gruden could still return to the NFL in the future, it won’t be this winter.
Schefter announced Thursday morning that Gruden has signed with Barstool Sports. He will likely contribute to the network’s NFL coverage, especially on Sundays. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy confirmed the news on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Gruden, who is known for his entertainment skills, was the voice of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” from 2009 to 2017.
He left the booth in 2018 to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, but his time with the team ended after old emails containing racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language were leaked.
Gruden’s career NFL coaching record is 117-112. It’s unclear if another team will give him another chance to coach, but for now, he’ll be focusing on creating content. Given his personality, this new role shouldn’t be a problem for him.
