NFL Notes: Jon Gruden, Packers, Patriots, Vikings

Jon Gruden

Former NFL HC and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden didn’t dispute the recent rumors of a possible return to the NFL during an interview with Rich Eisen.

“It’s in your blood,” Gruden said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “You get some people calling maybe to see if you’re interested in coaching again and maybe if you can help recommend a couple of guys. I’m pretty much involved with every level of football every day of the week, so I try to help if I can. One of these days, who knows, Rich? One of these days, you never know.”

“You know what, I have talked to people in years past. I plan on just keeping my options open,” Gruden added. ” … If something comes along down the road, we’ll take a look at it.”

Gruden admitted that there are times he feels the urge to back to helping players develop, but his current situation allows him to do this on a smaller level.

“It’s tough, man,” Gruden said. “You know, it’s tough, especially when you get around these players, you know. You get around them and sometimes you sit there and you go, ‘I wonder if I could help this kid. I wish I could try to help him. I wish I could do something to make a difference.’ But at the same time, I look at my job that way in broadcasting. I get to be a part of QB camp with all the young quarterbacks. I feel like I’m helping them a little bit. I do get a chance to prepare every week and hopefully do a decent job informing our viewers out there on the two teams that we have for Monday Night Football.”

Packers

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk spoke with a source with direct experience handling grievances who explained that the question for the Packers in their attempt recoup some of Martellus Bennett’s signing bonus, isn’t whether the player can play with the injury, but whether he had an injury that he failed to disclose when he signed with his team.

For what it’s worth, the Packers are expected to go after a portion of Bennett’s signing bonus after they waived him with a failure to disclose injury designation. (NFLTR)

• Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com writes that DC Dom Capers is the person most at risk of losing his job after the season.
• Dougherty says that while the Packers have been supportive of Capers in years past, “this season feels different.”
• Overall, Dougherty believes it’s safe to say that jobs are at stake for the Packers in the second half of this season, depending on how well the team performs over the remainder of the season.

Patriots

• According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Patriots TE Martellus Bennett‘s contract includes a nonguaranteed $2 million roster bonus due on the third day of the 2018 league year this March.
• If the Patriots decline it, they wouldn’t take any financial or salary cap hit, so there’s no future obligation to picking him up off of waivers.

Vikings

• Ian Rapoport of NFL Media spoke to someone who has watched QB Teddy Bridgewater in practice the last few weeks who said that he looks like he’s back to his old self: “Practiced well and looks good.”