John Gruden To Raiders Rumors Swirling As Former Coach Meets With Team

John Gruden and the Raiders could soon be reunited.

The former coach who led the Oakland Raiders to a 38-26 record may soon be making a return, as Gruden is reportedly in talks with team officials. As The Sports Xchange noted, the news comes a day after the Raiders coach, Dennis Allen, left the team to attend his father’s funeral.

The Raiders had reportedly become frustrated with Allen and the direction he has led the team. In November, team own Mark Davis expressed frustration with the season, which has seen the Raiders drop five games in a row to fall to 3-9.

The John Gruden Raiders rumors have surfaced amid reports that Allen’s job is in jeopardy after just one season. Gruden is remembered fondly by Raiders fans for his successful tenure between 1998 and 2001. He left the team in the 2002 season, guiding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory over the Raiders.

Since 2009, Gruden has been working for ESPN as a color analyst for Monday Night Football and other various football specials. He has been rumored to be in the running for a number of jobs along the way, including the University of Tennessee, which he publicly turned down last week.

The odds of John Gruden returning to the Raiders would still be long, ESPN blogger Bill Williamson notes.

Williamson wrote:

“But I think, many, many things would have to happen before something so dramatic would occur. Gruden has said he is committed to ESPN’s Monday Night Football. This is not the first report about Gruden’s future and it very likely won’t be the last.”

The development may be unlikely, but at least it has a greater likelihood than many of the other jobs he has been rumored to be in line for. John Gruden and the Raiders have already had informal talks about the coaching position, reports say.