Jon Gruden sits in limbo. Eight NFL teams are searching for head coaches this month, but the former Super Bowl champion hasn’t received a single public interview request. Just two months ago, betting markets listed him as a candidate for three major college programs. None of those schools called either.
The disconnect between speculation and reality has become the defining characteristic of Gruden’s post-Raiders career.
Table of Contents
When Betting Odds Meant Nothing
Between mid-November and mid-December 2025, Gruden’s name appeared in betting markets for Arkansas, LSU, and Michigan. The odds told a story of potential interest. The actual hiring decisions told a different one.
At Arkansas, Kalshi showed Gruden’s odds jumping from 1% to 23% on November 18, 2025. Bettors saw the former NFL coach as a legitimate candidate. Athletic director Hunter Yurachek saw Ryan Silverfield, who had just led Memphis to the College Football Playoff. Silverfield got the job on November 30.
LSU listed Gruden at +900 odds in late November, trailing only Lane Kiffin, Tom Brady, Nick Saban, and Jon Sumrall. The Tigers hired Kiffin on November 30. No reports ever surfaced of LSU actually contacting Gruden.
Michigan fired Sherrone Moore on December 10. Betting markets gave Gruden 7% odds. The Wolverines hired 66-year-old Kyle Whittingham from Utah instead.
Three openings. Three betting market appearances. Zero interviews.
The Statement Everyone Remembers
Gruden made his intentions clear during an August 2025 visit to the University of Georgia.
“The only reason I really came here is I want to coach again,” Gruden told the Georgia team. “I’m being honest with you. I do not bulls–t, either. I want to coach again. I’d die to coach in the SEC. I would love it. I would f-cking love it.”
Brett Favre endorsed the idea on social media: “I’ve always said Jon Gruden is one of the sharpest minds in football. His energy, passion, and love for the game are a perfect fit for the SEC.”
The college football world heard him. Then hired other people.
The Experience Gap Nobody Talks About
Gruden last coached college football in 1989 as the wide receivers coach at Pittsburgh. That was 35 years ago. His entire resume at the college level consists of four positions:
- Graduate assistant at Tennessee (1986-87)
- Passing game coordinator at Southeast Missouri State (1988)
- Tight ends coach at Pacific (1989)
- Wide receivers coach at Pittsburgh (1989)
He has never recruited a high school player in the NIL era. Never managed a transfer portal roster. Never dealt with eighteen-year-olds who can leave for another school whenever they want.
Arkansas, LSU, and Michigan all chose coaches with recent college experience. Silverfield had been at Memphis since 2016. Kiffin built Ole Miss into a playoff contender. Whittingham spent 22 years at Utah.
The NFL Roadblock
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk addressed Gruden’s NFL prospects on January 15, 2026. His assessment was blunt.
“If any of the eight teams with current vacancies are interested in Gruden, they’re keeping things very quiet,” Florio wrote.
The problem isn’t the October 2021 email scandal that forced Gruden to resign from the Raiders. According to Florio, the main obstacle is Gruden’s ongoing lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell for defamation and violation of privacy.
“Will a team do business with a coach with whom the NFL desires to do no business whatsoever?” Florio asked.
The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that Gruden’s case doesn’t have to go through NFL arbitration, allowing the lawsuit to proceed in regular court. The league still removes the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers episode featuring Gruden from its annual America’s Game marathon.
Eight vacancies exist right now: Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, Tennessee, Miami, Las Vegas, Arizona, and Atlanta. Gruden’s name has been floated for Miami after Mike McDaniel’s firing and for New York after Brian Daboll’s dismissal. His brother Jay Gruden mentioned Jon’s interest in the Giants job because of quarterback Jaxson Dart.
But floated names and actual interviews are different things.
The Record Behind the Resume
Gruden won Super Bowl XXXVII with Tampa Bay in 2002. That victory defines his legacy, but the 22 years since tell a more complicated story.
His overall NFL record sits at 117-112. Since that Super Bowl win, he made the playoffs just twice, losing in the wild card round both times. His second stint with the Raiders from 2018 to 2021 produced a 22-31 record with zero playoff appearances.
Gruden is 62 years old. He currently works as a Barstool Sports personality and runs a YouTube channel breaking down games. He consulted with the New Orleans Saints in 2023 and coached the Milano Seamen in Europe in 2024.
In July 2025, he said he’s “working hard to maybe get one more shot” at coaching.
Where This Leaves Him
The college football coaching carousel spun without him. The NFL carousel is spinning without him too. Gruden appeared in betting odds for college jobs not because athletic directors were calling, but because bettors thought the SEC quote meant something.
It didn’t.
Programs looking for college coaches wanted people who understand how college football works in 2026. Programs looking for NFL coaches want people without active lawsuits against the league.
Gruden said he’d die to coach in the SEC. The SEC hired other people. He’s working to get one more shot in the NFL. The NFL is interviewing other candidates.
The gap between what Jon Gruden wants and what programs are willing to offer him keeps getting wider. Betting markets can list his odds all they want. The phone still isn’t ringing.
