Raiders Rumors: Jon Gruden To Be Named Oakland Head Coach

As soon as the 2017 NFL season ended, the Oakland Raiders decided to part ways with head coach Jack Del Rio as the team underperformed throughout the year. The Raiders finished with a 6-10 record and third in the AFC West, a clear downgrade from their impressive 2016 NFL season run.

With Del Rio’s firing, Oakland immediately set their sights on former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden as a potential replacement. Gruden, who has spent the past several years as an analyst for ESPN, is no stranger to hearing his name in the rumor mill but reports of his return to Oakland seemed substantiated this time around.

According to Steve Corkran of Raiders Snake Pit, it appears Gruden is making his return to the sidelines:

This should come as no surprise given that Gruden stated earlier that there was a good chance he would be offered the Raiders head coaching job. Gruden’s last stint with the silver and black was back in 2001 when the team finished with a 10-6 record.

With Gruden’s return all but official, it will be interesting to see how he can turn around the team’s fortunes. With key franchise building blocks in Derek Carr and Khalil Mack, the Raiders may quickly find themselves back on top in their division.