“Growing Sense” Jon Gruden Returns As Buccaneers’ Head Coach

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there’s a “growing sense” in league circles over the past two days that Jon Gruden will agree to return as the Buccaneers head coach during the offseason.

Last weekend, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Gruden has been reaching out to assistant and former coaches in the industry to see if they were potentially available to join his staff if he took a head-coaching job.

Rapoport adds that the Buccaneers would be Gruden’s preferred destination with current HC Dirk Koetter is on the hot seat.

It would obviously take a lot of money to convince him to return but reports have linked Gruden to the Bucs for months now.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media also mentioned recently that he continues to speak with “wired-in NFL people” who are convinced that the Buccaneers are going to make a serious run at luring Gruden back to the NFL as their head coach, replacing Koetter.

Pelissero says it will take a “mammoth” contract to convince Gruden to leave ESPN. However, Pelissero adds that “word is Gruden is more inclined than ever to consider it, and there are reasons to think the team that fired him nine years ago makes a lot of sense.”

There have been concerns about Bucs QB Jameis Winston and his lack of development, but Gruden said during ESPN’s broadcast Monday night that he believes in his potential.

Multiple reports from the past few months have mentioned that this seriously one possibility worth watching, even though Gruden has resisted returning to the NFL for several years.

Gruden, 54, began his coaching career with the Raiders back in 1998. He was actually traded to the Buccaneers in 2002 after years in Oakland.

During Gruden’s 11-year coaching career, he posted a record of 95 and 81 (.540) to go along with four division titles and a Super Bowl Championship with the Buccaneers.

We’ll have more regarding Gruden and the Buccaneers as the news is available.