Tag: jon gruden

Former NFL coach thinks Brock Purdy should get major honor from 49ers

There’s a significant aspect of Brock Purdy’s career arc that flies under-the-radar while issues like his contract and his place in the NFL quarterback hierarchy dominate so much of the conversation around him. On Radio Row at Super Bowl LIX in New …

There’s a significant aspect of Brock Purdy’s career arc that flies under-the-radar while issues like his contract and his place in the NFL quarterback hierarchy dominate so much of the conversation around him.

On Radio Row at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden shed some light on the topic that generally doesn’t come to the fore with Purdy: He saved the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The 49ers in 2021 traded three first-round picks and a third-round pick to jump to No. 3 overall in the draft where they selected quarterback Trey Lance. That experiment failed for various reasons and Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick ahead of his third NFL season.

Part of the reason the 49ers traded Lance was because of Purdy’s emergence as a rookie in 2022 when he went 5-0 as a starter in the regular season and helped get San Francisco to the NFC championship game. Had Purdy not broken out the way he did, and had Lance continued to struggle, there’s a very real chance we’d have seen a regime change in San Francisco.

Because of that, Gruden believes Purdy deserves one of the highest honors a player can get, along with a hefty new contract.

“They should build a statue of him in San Francisco,” Gruden said in a video taken by The SF Niners on Twitter (currently X). “He covered their (expletive), man. They gave up three first-round draft choices to get a guy they got rid of. This guy’s the last pick in the draft and he’s taking you to the Super Bowl. He’s taken them to the brink. He deserves to get paid, and I’ll leave it at that.”

There’s probably some hyperbole in Gruden’s thoughts on a statue, but his point is a salient one. Regardless of where Purdy ranks in a particular QB ranking, and regardless of whether he ever does win a Super Bowl, his play over the last three seasons is a huge reason the 49ers have been able to overcome whiffing on their massive swing for a QB four years ago.

That’s unlikely to play into the team’s calculus on how much he’ll be paid, but it does underscore the equity he’s accumulated with Shanahan and general manager John Lynch in San Francisco.

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Steelers made a mistake rejecting potential Bears-Mike Tomlin trade

The Steelers missed a great opportunity by rejecting the Bears’ offer for Mike Tomlin, keeping them locked outside the top 20 in 2025 draft.

It has become public knowledge—thanks to insider Adam Schefter—that the Chicago Bears were apparently rejected in their attempt to negotiate a trade for Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin.

Trades involving head coaches are typically rare, but the compensation packages have been enormous over the past few decades, as seen with two of the most famous examples: Jon Gruden in 2002 and Sean Payton in 2023.

The Bears recently signed former Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson as their next head coach, and the Steelers may regret not pulling the trigger heading into the 2025 offseason.

Plenty of other HC candidates, including Johnson, could have adequately filled the theoretical vacancy left by Tomlin, and the trade compensation would have likely been enormous.

Instead of potentially acquiring the Chicago Bears’ 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft—along with additional picks—the Steelers will once again be forced to draft outside the top 20, locking themselves into another 10-7 ‘winning’ season under Tomlin in 2025.

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Former Raiders HC Jon Gruden shares story of infamous gaffe at Arrowhead Stadium

Over the weekend, former #Raiders HC Jon Gruden shared a story about an infamous gaffe he made at Arrowhead Stadium in 2020.

This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders are party to one of the most intense rivalries in sports, which often leads to heated incidents between the storied franchises.

During the Chiefs’ divisional-round win against the Houston Texans on Saturday in the AFC playoffs, former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden gave fans some insight into one such incident.

In the middle of a watch party hosted by Barstool Sports, Gruden told his co-streamers a story about an infamous victory lap he took around Arrowhead Stadium with Las Vegas’ players in 2020 after the Raiders narrowly defeated Kansas City.

Take a look at what the longtime coach had to say in this video, which was posted to Twitter:

Gruden’s victory lap was not well received in Western Missouri and ultimately backfired after he lost to the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium six weeks later.

Despite Kansas City’s longtime rivalry with the Raiders, Gruden’s infamous victory lap is mostly considered to have been harmless in hindsight, especially given the Chiefs’ dominance over Las Vegas in recent seasons.

8 times NFL teams traded draft picks for a head coach

NFL teams are reportedly considering making trade offers for Kevin O’Connell in 2025. Here’s a look back at eight coach trades since 1970.

With six NFL teams seeking new head coaches this offseason, we might see a rare coach trade in 2025.

NFL Network has reported that “multiple teams” are considering trading for Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, and Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has not ruled out the possibility of trading for a coach.

It doesn’t happen often, but trading for a coach is not unprecedented in the NFL.

So with the possibility of a coach trade on deck in 2025, we’re taking a look back at eight other times it has happened in NFL history.

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of every coach trade in pro football history, but it includes eight examples of coach trades since the league’s NFL/AFL merger in 1970.

1. Don Shula: 1970

(Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports)

The Dolphins poached Shula from the Colts before the 1970 season. It wasn’t originally a trade, but the NFL ruled that Miami violated tampering rules and made the team send a first-round pick to Baltimore in exchange for the coach’s rights. The trade ended up working out well for all parties involved.

2. Bill Parcells: 1997

(USA TODAY Sports)

After he stepped down from his role with the Patriots, the Jets found a roundabout way to hire Parcells without breaking NFL rules by initially saying he wasn’t the head coach. New England didn’t buy it and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped in to broker a deal that saw New York trade first-, second-, third- and fourth-round draft picks to the Patriots over the next two years in exchange for Parcells’ head coach rights. It was a complicated ordeal, one that Parcells regrets in hindsight.

3. Mike Holmgren: 1999

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

The Seahawks poached Holmgren from the Packers by luring him away with a big contract and general manager duties in addition to his head coach role. Because he still had one year left on his contract with Green Bay, Seattle had to trade a second-round pick to the Packers.

4. Bill Belichick: 2000

(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

In 2000, the Patriots agreed to trade first-, fourth- and fifth-round draft picks to the Jets in exchange for Belichick. The trade received bad reviews in the press at the time, but it turned out to be a brilliant move for New England as Belichick went on to win six Super Bowls with the Patriots.

5. Jon Gruden: 2002

(Jack Gruber-USA Today)

The Buccaneers agreed to trade two first-round and two second-round picks plus $8 million to the Raiders in exchange for Gruden in 2002. When Gruden later returned to the Raiders in 2018, he claimed that he never wanted to leave. The trade worked out for Gruden and Bucs, though, as they won Super Bowl XXXVII in Gruden’s first year with the team.

6. Herm Edwards: 2006

(Byron Hetzler-USA TODAY Sports)

The Chiefs traded a fourth-round pick to the Jets for Edwards in 2006. New York used that pick to select running back/kick returner Leon Washington. Kansas City then went 15-33 in three years before firing Edwards in 2009.

7. Bruce Arians: 2019

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Arians stepped down from his head coach job with the Cardinals in 2017. Two years later, he decided to return to coaching and joined the Buccaneers. Because he was still under contract with Arizona, Tampa Bay sent a sixth-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for Arians and a seventh-round pick. He won Super Bowl LV with the Bucs in his second season on the job.

8. Sean Payton: 2023

(Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

The Broncos agreed to trade first- and second-round picks to the Saints in 2023 in exchange for Payton and a third-round draft pick. After taking a break from coaching in 2022, Payton went 8-9 in his first season in Denver and then made the playoffs in 2024 with a 10-7 record.

The trade that didn’t happen: Jim Harbaugh in 2014

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

The Browns “made a real play” for then-49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2014, offering a pair of third-round picks, according to Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer. Harbaugh himself ultimately decided against the trade, and he eventually become Michigan’s head coach in 2015. Harbaugh later returned to the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024.

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Former Raiders, Buccaneers HC predicts Chiefs will win Super Bowl LIX

This week, a former Las Vegas #Raiders and Tampa Bay #Buccaneers head coach predicted that the Kansas City #Chiefs will win Super Bowl LIX.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to take a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs after securing the No. 1 seed in the conference’s postseason bracket with a Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.

Though Kansas City’s starters will have taken nearly a month off between the Yuletide victory and their Divisional Round playoff contest, some experts are still bullish on the Chiefs’ ability to cruise to a third-consecutive Super Bowl victory.

This week, former Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden officially predicted that Kansas City would complete the NFL’s first-ever three-peat and win Super Bowl LIX in a matchup against the Detroit Lions.

Though Gruden’s prediction didn’t include a final score, Chiefs fans are sure to be pleased that one of Kansas City’s former rivals is on the defending Super Bowl champions’ side heading into the postseason.

Stay tuned to see which team the Chiefs will face after the Wild Card weekend runs its course.

After Antonio Pierce firing, the Raiders paid 3 coaches NOT to work for them

The Raiders are paying another coach to not coach.

The Las Vegas Raiders are in the market for a head coach again after parting ways with Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after just 26 games.

For those keeping count, the next coach will be their fifth in the last five years after they replaced Jon Gruden with Rich Bisaccia in 2021, hired Josh McDaniels in 2022 and replaced him with Pierce in 2023.

Like Bisaccia, Pierce originally got the job on an interim basis, and like Gruden and McDaniels he was eventually hired full-time. He also follows in their footsteps as the third coach the Raiders will have to pay to not coach the team.

McDaniels still had four years left on his deal when the Raiders fired him last November. Gruden had six years left when he put himself in hot water with those awful emails. The details of Pierce’s deal aren’t as clear, but he said in December “I’m under contract” when asked about his job status in 2025. So it’s safe to assume the Raiders will have to honor his contract too.

What could Steelers realistically acquire in Mike Tomlin trade?

The Steelers could command significant draft capital in a Mike Tomlin trade, with several past head coach trades setting the framework.

As reported on Sunday, insider Adam Schefter painted an interesting trade scenario involving head coach-needy NFL organizations potentially calling the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office to inquire about acquiring HC Mike Tomlin.

Fans clamoring for his departure are understandably excited, but to speculate on what a potential trade package might look like, we need to examine the history of previous head coach trades.

In 1970, the Baltimore Colts traded Don Shula to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a first-round draft pick.

In 1997, the New York Jets set a new precedent for head coach trades by sending first-, second-, third-, and fourth-round draft picks to acquire HC Bill Parcells from the New England Patriots.

Several more head coach trades also resulted in first-round draft selections, including those of Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, and most recently, Sean Payton in 2023.

Tomlin’s perfect record of avoiding losing seasons could demand even more compensation from NFL organizations—but a 2025 first-, second-, and third-round draft pick package is a realistic starting point.

Should the Pittsburgh Steelers trade Tomlin away if the price is right, or if he is unable to get the Steel City their first playoff win since 2017?

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Jon Gruden spotted catching up with Saints players at the team facility

Jon Gruden was seen at the Saints practices facility with former players Derek Carr and Foster Moreau, as well as Jake Haener. What does it mean?


Jon Gruden was spotted at the New Orleans Saints practice facility on Saturday alongside his former Las Vegas Raiders players Derek Carr and Foster Moreau, plus backup quarterback Jake Haener, who has trained with him in the offseason. The four men posed for a picture, which Haener then shared to social media.

While this isn’t the first time Gruden has visited with the Saints, the timing of this particular visit is interesting. It was recently reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that the Saints would have hired Gruden as their offensive coordinator if he wanted the job.

This report extends the history between Gruden and the Saints. The coach joined the Saints in training camp last summer to assist Carr and the offense. As you connect the dots, you begin to see how the franchise feels about Gruden.

The last piece in the puzzle is Pelissero saying teams are doing their due diligence on Gruden as a head coaching candidate.

These circumstances align with the conclusion of the season. Gruden is a person to watch in New Orleans’ impeding head coaching search. The league is preparing to open their arms to him again after he resigned in disgrace after leaked emails revealed his hatefully racist, homophobic, and misogynistic views. The Saints have already displayed a willingness to work with him.

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Report: Jon Gruden could have been Saints’ offensive coordinator, if he wanted to

NFL Network reports Jon Gruden, not Klint Kubiak, could have been Saints’ offensive coordinator if he wanted the job. Could he be their head coach instead?

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero sat down with Peter Schrager on Good Morning Football to dish out what he’s hearing on the upcoming NFL head coach hiring cycle, and when Pelissero was asked to highlight a dark horse being considered by teams but not often discussed in the media, he suggested someone who has a couple of New Orleans Saints connections.

“Keep an eye on Jon Gruden,” Pelissero began. “We have not seen Gruden in a full-time basis in the NFL since back in 2021 when he resigned after offensive emails were leaked to the media that he had sent while working as an analyst at ESPN. However, he has remained engaged. We saw him on the sideline with the Bucs owners earlier this fall. We saw him working with the Saints back in training camp last year.”

Gruden briefly reunited with Derek Carr at 2023 organized team activities and minicamp practices to help the veteran quarterback pick up Pete Carmichael’s playbook in his first offseason with the Saints, but it didn’t work out very well. Carr’s 228.1 passing yards per game were the third-fewest of his career, and Carmichael was fired after the season. But Pelissero says the Saints liked what they saw enough to consider replacing Carmichael with Gruden.

“My understanding is if he had wanted the Saints offensive coordinator job last year, he could have had it. He ultimately decided he was not going to do that. But I can tell you though, Peter, not to say for sure Jon Gruden will be back, but there have been multiple teams that have been doing extensive homework on Jon Gruden — the situation, him as a coach, him as a person — I would not be surprised at all if in the coming weeks you see Jon Gruden’s name popping up interviewing for a head coaching job,” Pelissero added.

That doesn’t really line up with what was reported at the time. Gruden was widely expected to enter the mix as a candidate for the job, but the Saints never formally interviewed him while investing a lot of resources in a search that ended with Klint Kubiak getting the job. It’s true that Gruden has been around the team as an unpaid consultant, and it was reported back in Jan. 2024 that he “likely would” have joined the team as an assistant, not the offensive coordinator.

But could Gruden be the team’s next head coach? Anything is possible, but that feels like a massive misstep. The Saints need to rebuild their roster, and that’s not something Gruden has done in decades. Lately he’s kept busy with forays into social media content and even if teams have done their homework, none have engaged with him publicly. He has a ton of baggage given his ongoing legal action against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, to say nothing of the content of his emails themselves. The Saints would be better served going in a different direction with someone who has a fresher perspective on building an NFL team, and who wouldn’t be facing the kind of questions Gruden has opened himself up to.

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Jon Gruden reacts to seeing Michigan football QB Bryce Underwood at practice

Very NICEY! #GoBlue

Michigan football held its second bowl game practice in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday, and it had some special guests in attendance. Not only was Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles (also the father of new Michigan signee, linebacker Troy Bowles) in attendance, but so was former Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden.

In the 15 minutes that WolverinesWire was able watch practice No. 2, Gruden stood near where the quarterbacks were going through their drills. While we don’t know how long Gruden stayed to watch, we do know his reaction to seeing Bryce Underwood for the first time.

It will certainly excite Michigan fans to hear what he had to say, as simple of a reaction as he had.


We can concur, having seen him both at Belleville and in limited viewing at Michigan practice the past two days.

Underwood will not be able to participate in the ReliaQuest Bowl, but he certainly will be in the mix to potentially start in his first year in the program come the fall.