Will Jon Gruden be a 2025 coaching candidate?

Yes, Jon Gruden’s name has been percolating for weeks as a potential candidate in the coming coaching carousel.

At one level, it’s no surprise. Beyond Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, there are no no-brainer candidates for 2025.

At another level, it’s stunning. Gruden has an active lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Unlike the Brian Flores lawsuit, Gruden’s flows from his forced resignation during the 2021 season as a result of over-the-top inappropriate emails that he sent to former Washington executive Bruce Allen. Although it was wrong (on multiple levels) for someone to weaponize those emails in an effort to take Gruden out five games into the regular season, any owner who would be interested in hiring Gruden would have to be willing to take whatever heat might come from 345 Park Avenue or other owners for doing so.

In the end, the question becomes whether it’s worth it. Gruden isn’t Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, or Bill Walsh. He has a career regular-season record of 117-112. That translates to a lower winning percentage than Jeff Fisher’s.

During Gruden’s second stint with the Raiders, he went 22-31 with no playoff appearances in three full seasons. (That said, he was 3-2 when pushed out, and the Raiders made it to the postseason that year under interim coach Rich Bisaccia.)

Why, then, would Gruden be more desirable than, say, Mike McCarthy? The current (and possibly soon-to-be-former) Cowboys coach is 174-111-2 in the regular season. That’s 54 more wins, and one fewer loss than Gruden. And he’ll be a free agent after Sunday.

All things considered, and in all fairness to Gruden, it makes no sense. Between the blowback from the league and the potential P.R. consequences, hiring Gruden after three seasons out of coaching will be hard to justify.

As Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi explained when asked why special-teams coordinators rarely get serious head-coaching consideration, owners and General Managers want to make a splash and “win the press conference.”

It won’t be easy to win the press conference if Gruden is peppered with questions about his emails and his lawsuit. Or if he’s asked about his career coaching record. Or his performance with the Raiders after nine years in the broadcast booth.