Jon Gruden’s legacy will be forever tainted.
When Jon Gruden decided to return to the Oakland — now Las Vegas Raiders — sideline, there was no doubt that ego was a factor.
Many people have questioned Gruden’s 2002 Super Bowl victory with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by claiming “it was Tony Dungy’s team” or “Gruden did it with Dungy’s players.” Of course, Dungy was Gruden’s predecessor in Tampa Bay, and the latter won the Lombardi Trophy the same year he took over for the former.
This was the most serious blow to Gruden’s legacy, but it didn’t appear to bother him at the time. Even after being fired a few years after winning it all, the coach appeared to be in no hurry to return to the sidelines. In reality,
Gruden joined the Monday Night Football team in 2009, quickly winning over football fans across the country with his upbeat personality and extensive NFL knowledge. He was widely regarded as one of the best and most popular media analysts, so much so that ESPN made him one of their highest-paid employees, and the network has struggled to find a replacement for him since he left in 2018.A few years into “Chucky’s” tenure in the booth, coaching rumors resurfaced. When a few high-profile college jobs became available, and the “Tony Dungy’s team” chatter resurfaced, Gruden’s name was seemingly thrown into the mix for just about every NFL head coaching vacancy.
However, no opportunity appeared to be suitable.
Then, Raiders owner Mark Davis fired head coach Jack Del Rio after a disappointing 2017 campaign, one season removed from the organization’s first playoff berth in 14 years.
At this time, Gruden’s children were much older, and he had an opportunity to return to the Silver and Black, a place where he could have won a Super Bowl with “his players.”
Before the coach even technically returned to the sidelines, one of the first actions he took was dismantling a roster that was a year removed from a trip to the postseason. Among several other moves, he opted to get rid of players like Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack in favor of Jordy Nelson, Brandon LaFell and draft picks.
It was a clear attempt by Gruden to get “his guys.” Hmmm, I wonder why?
The transactions didn’t help the Raiders. The team went from 6-10 in Del Rio’s final season to 4-12 in Gruden’s first, and 2016 remains as the organization’s lone playoff berth since losing the aforementioned Super Bowl to Gruden and the Buccaneers.