NFL Notes: Jon Gruden, Buccaneers, Mexico, Dolphins

Jon Gruden

League sources tell Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com that there is interest from both the Buccaneers and Jon Gruden in a potential reunion.

According to Reynolds, the Buccaneers are the job Gruden wants, but he won’t make his feelings known publicly out of respect to current HC Dirk Koetter.

Michael Lombardi of The Ringer has also mentioned that Gruden is the guy to watch for the Buccaneers.

“I think we can officially put Dirk Koetter on the hot seat,” Lombardi said. “Dirk Koetter has all this talent and they spent all this money and I think Dirk Koetter is going to be on the hot seat. Could he make it through the end of the year? Perhaps. But I think you are going to start hearing – a lot of people in the NFL are telling me that the name they’re hearing is Gruden back to the Bucs job,” Lombardi said. “He’s made up with the Glazers, and the Glazers could easily bring him back. They need somebody to help their franchise out. Right now they have all of this offensive talent and they can’t score any points.

“Nobody outside the NFL is talking about it, but everybody I talk to in the NFL is talking about the Bucs job and they think it’s going to end up being over with for Dirk Koetter if he doesn’t get this thing turned around fairly quickly, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get turned around really quickly at all.”

Mexico

Based on comments made by Mark Waller, the NFL’s vice president of international, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that Mexico City could be the next leverage city for stadium negotiations.

“I think our job in international is to grow markets and cities to have fan bases that are as deep and passionate as they are in the US. And so in my mind, if you were to project that 20 years from now — I’m just making up a number — I would like to think that people would sit and go, ‘Wow, we could have a team in Mexico City,” Waller said. “The fan base is big enough, the stadium is good enough, the infrastructure is good enough, the logistics of it could work well enough, that if our ownership decided that that was something that they wanted to do, we could deliver.’ ”

Volin adds that Toronto could be another option for the NFL.

Dolphins

• Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes barring something unforeseen, the Dolphins want DT Ndamukong Suh back next year. However, they will likely restructure his contract once again to pick up some cap room.
• According to Jackson, WR Jarvis Landry is expected to target a deal in the range of five years and more than $65 million as a free agent next year. A source tells Jackson that how the season ends for the Dolphins and Landry will ultimately decide which way they’ll go.
• Jackson believes Miami could dump RT Ja’Waun James if RT Jesse Davis continues to play like he did against the Panthers. Otherwise, a multi-year extension could be coming for James at a lower base salary.
• Ryan Tannehill is fully expected to return as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback next year.
  Jackson could see the Dolphins making alterations to the contracts of S Reshad Jones and DE Andre Branch next offseason.
• As for TE Julius Thomas, Jackson says that barring an incredible final two months, it’s likely he’ll be released.