Oakland Raiders Going All In To Finally Get Jon Gruden
By Erik Lambert
It’s clear as day the Oakland Raiders still regret ever making the decision to trade Jon Gruden back in 2002. The franchise hasn’t been the same since.
For those who don’t remember, here’s a recap. Gruden was one of the up-and-coming coaches in the NFL. Oakland made him their man in 1998. Two years later he got them their first division championship and then won another the year after that. However, failure to reach the Super Bowl tried the patience of team owner Al Davis. Rather than fire him though, the Raiders took the unprecedented step to trade Gruden to Tampa Bay for a bounty of draft picks.
Initially it looked like the right move. The Raiders reached the Super Bowl that same year. However, so did Gruden. Their worst fears then became reality as their former coach put a whipping on them. One so thorough and demoralizing that Oakland has managed to reach the playoffs just once since that fateful day. It would make sense that the team has been trying to correct that mistake ever since.
So much in fact that they’re willing to make it rain loads of dollars to bring him back.
Raiders ready to pay through nose to get Gruden
"“Oakland is planning to pursue former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current Monday Night Football color commentator Jon Gruden, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources informed of the situation. ESPN first reported Oakland’s intentions.The Raiders gave Del Rio in the offseason a four-year extension through 2020, but are willing to part with the skipper if Gruden, long a white whale in coaching searches, becomes available. The franchise has held off endorsing Del Rio as its coach next season until they know about Gruden’s plans.Rapoport reported Oakland intends to offer Gruden an annual salary of over $10 million and an ownership stake in the team.”"
That is no amount of chump change. The $10 million would instantly make Gruden one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. It’s the ownership stake in the team where things start to clarify on how serious the Raiders are about getting him back. At age 54 he’s still relatively young enough to get that team pointed in the right direction. The idea of pairing him with Derek Carr is also undoubtedly a huge driving force behind the idea.
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The big question is how will a 10-year layoff affect Gruden’s abilities. Is he still the same maniac he was back then who put in countless hours to make his team prepared? Better still has the game somehow passed him up from a schematic standpoint? These are all things that make the Raiders’ plan such a gamble.