Jon Gruden is back in the NFL.
Steve Corkran of Raiders Snake Pit reported that Gruden will be the team's next head coach, taking over for the recently fired Jack Del Rio, and that the announcement would be made at a press conference on Tuesday. It will be Gruden's second tenure as head coach of the Raiders.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Gruden is signing a 10-year, $100 million deal, the biggest in NFL history for a head coach.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Gruden already has Rams quarterback coach Greg Olson in place to be offensive coordinator, Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther taking over the same role, and Cowboys special teams coach Rich Bisaccia filling the same position in Oakland.
Gruden, 54, last coached in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2008 season. He spent seven seasons in Tampa Bay (2002-08), winning a Super Bowl in the 2002 campaign. Prior to that gig, Gruden served as head coach of the Raiders (1998-2001).
For his career, Gruden is 95-81 as a head coach, reaching the postseason five times. He went 38-26 in his time with the Raiders. He also served as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995-97.
For the past nine years, however, Gruden has served as a color commentator for ESPN's Monday Night Football. During that time, he was regularly connected to a number of NFL and college openings, though he maintained that he was happy in the broadcast booth.
With the chance to return to Oakland, however, Gruden was convinced to give NFL coaching another shot.
He'll certainly have a talented roster to work with, highlighted by quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Amari Cooper on offense and Khalil Mack on defense. The Raiders are two seasons removed from a 12-4 record and playoff berth, though the team's disappointing 6-10 campaign spelled the end for Del Rio.
Part of the Raiders' struggles stemmed from Carr taking a step back in 2017, so one of Gruden's top priorities will be getting his quarterback back to the form he displayed in 2016, when he threw for 3,937 yards, 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions while completing 63.8 percent of his passes.
In 2017, however, those numbers dipped to 3,496 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Getting Carr back on track should help the offense as a whole get back on track. Building a better defense around Mack will be another important task for Gruden, the front office and his defensive coordinator.
The Raiders have the talent to make a postseason run in 2018. Expectations will be very high immediately for Gruden.
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