The Las Vegas Raiders gave Jon Gruden $100 million to return them to glory, but instead, he had an incredible fall from grace.
It was the early part of January 2018 when it was finally announced, the return of Jon Gruden as head coach for the Raiders.
Raider Nation was elated to restore glory back into its dreaded current state, even if the 10-year,$100m contract Jon Gruden was awarded was not to everyone’s taste. Nevertheless, the Raiders had got their main, and the re-arrival of “Chucky” was officially underway.
What even led to that point was a bizarre twist that had not really been seen in NFL history. However to even get to that point in this strange tale, we have to understand just who Jon Gruden is, or.. was.
Jon Gruden was born In Sandusky, Ohio, and grew up a Cleveland Browns fan. He was around the game of football his entire life, introduced to the sport by his father. Gruden’s father Jim was a talented high school quarterback whose entire life revolved around football. He was an assistant football coach for 15 years at the collegiate level with stops at the University of Dayton, Indiana, and Notre Damn to name a few.
This passion for the game was passed on to Jon. After playing one season at Muskingum college, Gruden transferred to the University of Dayton, and despite spending the next three seasons as a backup at quarterback, it did nothing to dampen his burning desire for the game.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
Starting his coaching journey
After graduating, Gruden’s first stop in coaching was as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee during the 1985-86 season. By 1990, Gruden was already an assistant in the NFL, and his path to becoming a head coach was clear as day. His biggest break as an assistant came in 1995 when he was named the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator.
1998, it was the year in which it finally all culminated in Gruden’s dream coming true — as he was named the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, and was handpicked especially by Raiders general manager and owner Al Davis.
The move to hire the 34-year-old was looked at as bold and risky. He had quite the resume, but at 34-years-old was the youngest hire in league history. Hiring such a young coach seemed like a dangerous move. However, the Raiders needed to take the gamble as the Silver and Black had not been to the playoffs since 1993, and needed a jolt to a franchise that was on the decline.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
Gruden takes over in Oakland
The first two seasons of Gruden’s tenure were not spectacular by any means, solid at best, and did not end in a playoff bid, and his 1999 season record was the exact same as his debut season at 8-8. But since Gruden was handpicked especially by Davis, he was afforded a longer leash, something the last two previous coaches Mike White and Joe Bugel were not.
The turn of the century season in 2000 was the year the legend of ‘Chucky’ had begun to take hold, a nickname that he acquired from Raiders defensive lineman Grady Jackson who had stated that Gruden resembled the fictional doll character from the slasher series “Child’s Play.”
2000 was not just a monumental year for the turn of a new century, but also because the Raiders had finally once again achieved relevance. Finishing the season at 12-4, the Raiders led by quarterback Rich Gannon (whose career had been revived with the coaching of Gruden) made it all the way to the AFC championship before facing defeat to the Baltimore Ravens who would go on to win the Super Bowl that season.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
Gruden becomes a star
Jon Gruden was no longer a young upstart with expectations not met, he was turning into something the Raiders had never had at coach. A bonafide star. He had become bigger than even the talent he coached. This even led to Gruden in 2001 being named one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World”, an honor mostly reserved for the entertainment business, and not the sports world.
A bashful Gruden even told the magazine “When you look this young, “you have to prove to players that you can help them.” This had shown just how larger than life Jon Gruden had become.
The 2001 season was another successful one for Gruden, as he once again led the Raiders to the AFC West title and a playoff appearance. However, the season ended in one of the most controversial calls in the history of the sport. The ‘tuck rule game would forever be remembered painfully in the heart of Raider fans, and also would be the final game of Jon Gruden as head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
There is no true reasoning for why Al Davis did something unheard of in the league when after the season he traded Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for draft picks. The rumors ran rampant about personality clashes between the two, contract negations that apparently made Davis uncomfortable, Davis’s preference for a more vertical style offense, or possibly the fact that Davis saw Gruden’s star power as a huge threat to his hierarchy.
Whatever the case, Gruden was moved to the Buccaneers, and the hearts of Raider Nation was shattered.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
Gruden lands in Tampa Bay
In his first season in charge, Gruden led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory. To add even further insult to injury, the team he beat was his former in the Raiders. The game ended in a 48-21 drubbing, and many speculated that Gruden reveled at the chance to hit back at Davis for the surprising departure that apparently ‘caught him off guard.”
He would go on to coach the Buccaneers until the 2008 season, in which his magic had seemed like it finally had run out, and the Bucs decided to fire the immensely popular coach. Gruden’s passion for the sport never left even after the sacking, by 2010 he had already ventured back into coaching, albeit in a more meager venue, by becoming a volunteer assistant offensive line coach for a small school in the Tampa area that housed grades two through high school.
The downtime also led to Gruden creating FFCA (Fired Football Coaches Association), which in theory sounded like a joke, but became a hotbed for coaches to visit as Gruden had stored a significant amount of player and game film, and also playbooks in which Gruden had accumulated and would update over the years. Gruden called the facility which was run out of rented office in a Tampa-based area strip mall a “Football Think-Tank”, and the facilities were operated all the way up until 2018.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
Gruden becomes a television star
In 2009, Gruden was also hired to become a commentator for ESPN, which unknowingly would be the true downfall of the man many had come to admire, unbeknownst to the world at the time. Gruden was still very popular, as his commentary and knowledge of the game were lauded by the world over.
His aggressive and captivating personality led to another notch of success on his belt when in 2014, the network awarded Gruden with an extension through 2021, making him the highest-earning paid personality at the network. The deal also included at the behest of Jon Gruden, a clause that he could back out of the deal if he accepts a coaching offer.
In January 2018, the dream had come true, and in several ways. Gruden had expressed bitterness and disappointment over the years that he never truly got to “finish the job” in Oakland, and had vowed that someday he would return to the Raiders. And that he did.
In January of 2018, the Raiders were now owned by Mark Davis, the son of the late Al who had passed away in 2011. Mark brought back Gruden on a 10-year contract that brought criticism from many media pundits, as the coach had been away from the game for 10 years, and also did not leave the game on his own terms.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
Gruden’s triumphant return
Nevertheless, the Raiders franchise was overjoyed at the decision and had finally got back their man. Since his departure, the Raiders’ lone postseason appearance after the massacre in the Super Bowl was in 2016, a team that went 12-4 but saw Derek Carr break his ankle on Christman Eve.
Oakland had become a revolving door of head coaches since the departure of Gruden and hired a staggering number of ten head coaches since his trade to Tampa Bay. Only two playoff appearances in 16 seasons since he was moved, the number he was able to achieve in only four at the helm.
The team had a record of 92-164 since the trade, which is why Raider Nation was so gung-ho in bringing back their once esteemed head coach.
The first season was controversial and in many ways, the rumors of Gruden and his struggle for power and dominance was fully on display as he traded away star linebacker Khalil Mack for draft picks to the Chicago Bears and moved pro bowl receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round pick.
Gruden preached patience and stated over and over the Raiders needed a rebuild. The Raider faithful did just that and remained faithful as the team sputtered out to a 4-12 record in his first season back.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
The final season in Oakland
Year 2 was actually a major jump, and the Raiders were going into the season with another broadcaster turned NFL personnel move with the hiring of Mike Mayock as general manager. The Raiders were entering the season also with three first-round picks from the trades of Mack and Cooper.
The hype train surrounding the Raiders was immense as they added All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown via trade, and also were featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks, a show that highlighted once again the entertaining personality of Gruden, even though it was clear his age was starting to show.
The Antonio Brown experiment would lead to failure though as he never appeared in a game for the Raiders after a camp that showcased bizarre behavior from the player and led to his eventual release, which he seemingly requested. Despite all of the drama and odd things going on in-house, the Raiders record improved in 2019, and at 7-9, it was a three-game jump over the previous season, just maybe Gruden was right about the patience thing.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
Raiders arrive in Las Vegas
Year 3 was the season in which Raider Nation was growing a bit angsty, as the team had a new home in Las Vegas, after years of back and forth negotiations for a new stadium in Oakland that never materialized. This was expected to be the year Gruden truly would have the roster he had built, and the system truly in place in which he had anticipated.
After a strong showing to the start of the season, the team had a second-half collapse, and after a few chances at a playoff appearance, finally ended in a .500 season at 8-8.
The Gruden express was running a bit cold on the tracks heading into the fourth season, the draft choices over the years under Gruden ended up being a mixed bag, and the one top-five pick the Raiders had was a blown one on defensive end Clelin Ferrell, a pick that famously puzzled not only Raider Nation, but the entire world.
However, the world was put on its heels as the Raiders rolled out to a 3-0 start, their first since 2002, which was also the same season Gruden had trounced the Raiders in the Super Bowl. It seemed not only Raider Nation, but the universe was warming up to Gruden and his coaching style again.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
The Downfall
After a botched Week 4 game to the Los Angeles Chargers, things were still looking up for Gruden and the Raiders, as 3-1 is not a bad thing. Then, like a ton of bricks, troubling news had begun to brew surrounding Gruden, as an email from 10 years ago resurfaced and deemed as racist had been discovered sent by Gruden, which described African-American NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith using a racial trope.
Gruden immediately responded by stating his choice of words were not racist and backed up his own claims stating he never would say anything of this nature that would offend.
Week 5 went on for the Raiders, and once again the Raiders faltered. Losing at home to the Chicago Bears, but despite the loss, it was not the biggest thing on Raider fans’ minds. The email and choice of words had the world debating just what did Gruden mean in that email, and like wildfire, by Monday the NFL had already found more ‘degrading’ emails from Gruden sent to members of the Washington Football team’s personnel.
After an investigation into the Washington football team over a culture that owner Daniel Snyder had let rear its ugly head and operate in ways considered offensive and wrong, this is what led to what was a treasure trove of emails from Gruden between 2011-2018 while working at ESPN that had him use horrific comments describing the LBGTQ community, misogynistic comments against female referees, and his displeasure for players kneeling during the national anthem.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
The End
The writing was on the wall for Gruden, and on Monday night, he resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. A once larger-than-life figure who had become victim to his own words.
However, how Chucky will be remembered is clearly within the realm of one’s own conscience. Will he be remembered as the once-great coach and personality? For many, this is highly unlikely.
The truth is, Gruden’s emails were fueled with hate, and those are not the words of a leader. And although Gruden is gone, his words may leave permanent damage for Raiders fans for years to come, the change happened and the change was needed.
The fall of Jon Gruden will probably never rise again, but this is the reality of his own actions.
In his final statement as Raiders coach, “I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone” said Gruden. But what he has done is unforgivable, not only for once again breaking the hearts of Raiders fans but for spewing such hateful messages for so many years.
Las Vegas Raiders vs Chicago Bears: Offensive Grades in 2021 Week 5
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A mistake only happens once, this was not a mistake, but a part of his character. We truly got to see the inside view of the enigmatic character everyone once admired and respected, and honestly, the truth still hurts.