NY Jets must steer clear of Jon Gruden amid reported interest in a comeback

The NY Jets are going out of the box in their quest to replace Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich as the next head coach. It seems like the organization and fanbase both want someone who has done this before, leading to Rex Ryan and other ex-coaches getting some consideration for this job.

With fans desiring a coach who has past experience, names like Ryan and Ron Rivera are gaining steam. Some want former Raiders and Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, who does have a Super Bowl to his name, to end up taking the Jets over after reaching 14 straight seasons without the playoffs.

According to Tom Pelissero, Gruden is being vetted as a serious head coaching candidate this cycle. Jets fans may be interested in Gruden, but he is clearly not the right guy for this job, or any job at this point in his football life.

NY Jets must steer clear of hiring Jon Gruden as head coach

Gruden's best three-year stretch as a coach was his last two years with the Raiders, in which he won two playoff games and the 2002 campaign with the Buccaneers. Taking over a team assembled by Tony Dungy, Gruden rode a historically good defense to a Super Bowl win. Since then, it has been rough sledding.

In parts of 10 seasons with the Buccaneers and Raiders, Gruden went 67-81 and did not win a single playoff game. Gruden's inability to land a high-end quarterback was coupled with some of the worst drafting ever. Guard Davin Joseph was the only player Gruden drafted in Tampa who made a Pro Bowl with the Bucs.

The one class he nailed was 2021 (Josh Jacobs, Maxx Crosby), and he had to resign five games into their rookie year.

Gruden, who will turn 62 before the start of the 2025 season, tore down a Raiders roster that had some promise and was unable to finish a full season with a winning record. That Super Bowl in 2002, which came during a time when Eminem's "Lose Yourself" was just knocked off the top of the Billboard charts, can't be a reason to give Gruden a job in 2025.

Gruden's outdated offense wouldn't help the Jets keep pace with the rest of the league, his most successful coaching seasons were literally decades ago, and he is fresh off resigning in disgrace after building a toxic culture. Quite simply, he is not the man for the job.

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