Dave Portnoy went out on a limb and brought Jon Gruden back into NFL media by hiring him at Barstool Sports last year.
After a successful first year back creating content for Gruden, including going viral for the return of his “Gruden’s QB Class” series, Portnoy is convinced the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach will soon be back with an NFL team.
“I would be stunned if he’s not an NFL coach at some time again,” Portnoy said in an episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast released Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s going to be, like, tomorrow, but the guy eats, lives, breathes football. So I think that’s what he loves.”
The Super Bowl champion coach and former Monday Night Football announcer was fired by the Raiders in 2021 after his racist and misogynistic emails leaked as part of an NFL investigation into former Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder. But after Gruden started his own YouTube channel, Portnoy reached out immediately.
“He started putting out videos, and I just saw it and right away I’m like, ‘I’m not turning away,'” Portnoy explained. “And we reached out … flew out to Orlando, met him, hit it off, and he was ready to go. I think he was just ready to get back into this world.”
The longtime coach is still just 61, and his acumen as a play-caller is probably enough to get an interview. Gruden served as an advisor for the New Orleans Saints in 2023 and has an active lawsuit against the NFL for leaking his emails.
Given the nature of his comments in the emails and his tarnished relationship with the league office, Gruden’s return to the NFL would be a major story. However, there is a long way to go before that happens.
In the meantime, Gruden recently returned to pro football as a partner with the Arena Football One (AF1) league Nashville Kats and their ownership group.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.