Is ex-Raiders HC Jon Gruden aiming for NFL return?

Once Jon Gruden resigned from his job as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, he stayed mostly out of the spotlight. He had his lawsuit against the NFL but he didn't seem to seek much attention in the years that followed.

Over the past year, that's changed in a major way. Gruden is finding whatever camera he can get in front of. He recently started a YouTube channel called "Gruden Loves Football" and now signed a deal with Barstool Sports.

This is the most Gruden content we've had in years and you can't help but think that there's an angle to this. Coincidentally, all this Gruden hype comes at the same time that former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason dropped some insight about the coach's possible return to the football field.

“I’m telling you right now, (I made a) couple calls last night … I can confirm that he definitely wants to get back in. One hundred percent,” Esiason said on WFAN’s Boomer and Gio.

“I can also confirm, and I believe this to be true… this is, again, my opinion after speaking to at least two different people that are involved in coaching searches and things of that nature, that there are teams that are interested in him. If it’s not this year, it’s definitely next year. But he’s coming back. He’s definitely coming back.”

It's obvious what's happening here. Gruden thinks that he's been far enough removed from his past controversy that he can now start doing things to repair his image. He wants to be coaching but it's unlikely a team would hire him now.

But once he gets on TV and starts showing off his football knowledge again, that could convince an owner that he might be worth taking a chance on. Gruden's second stint with the Raiders was a disaster but there's no denying he knows football. However, a team absolutely cannot give him personnel control if he does become a head coach again.