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Everyone wants Jon Gruden to coach again, but he sounds pretty content at ESPN

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

Every year we hear Jon Gruden’s name linked to head-coaching vacancies, and for good reason.

He’s a Super Bowl-winning coach and very visible in his role as a “Monday Night Football” analyst. This year, Gruden is being courted by the Los Angeles Rams. The problem for the Rams is that Gruden seems quite comfortable with his life in the booth.

On ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike,” Gruden didn’t sound like someone ready to jump back into coaching.

“I love football, I’ve said that a million times, and I just want to say that I’m very happy doing what I’m doing,” Gruden said.

“There’s a lot of chips on the table but right now I have no intentions of coaching. I really enjoy what I’m doing. I feel like I’m close to the fire. I’m getting plenty of satisfaction out of doing what I’m doing.”

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That might just be empty talk and he can be wooed by the Rams with personnel control and whatever else he wants, but what he said makes sense.

Jon Gruden, back when he was coaching Tampa Bay. (AP)
Jon Gruden, back when he was coaching Tampa Bay. (AP)

Gruden makes a reported $6.5 million to talk football on Monday nights on ESPN. Yes, $6.5 million. That salary would put him among the NFL’s highest-paid coaches, and he doesn’t have any of the stress that coaching brings. Gruden still has stress in his life – he puts in a ton of preparation into his broadcasts, and it shows – but it has to be different than the hours of coaching. Maybe Gruden wants to compete again and jumps back in to coaching, but he would seemingly have very little urgency to do so. He has a good life at ESPN, as he said.

But we’ll hear Gruden’s name brought up for at least a few more years (it’ll end soon; nobody brings up Bill Cowher anymore). It’s smart for business, too – Gruden’s agent seems to always turn these rumors into another raise. The Rams would be a great fit and they want him, and he’d have the chance to mold No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff into a top-end starting quarterback. Maybe this is the job Gruden finally leaves the booth to take.

If Gruden stays in the booth, it wouldn’t be a surprise either. He’s got it pretty good in his current job.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!