Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis has lured former coach Jon Gruden away from ESPN for a historic price: a record 10-year deal worth a reported $100 million.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport both confirmed the Raiders are calling a ‘significant’ press conference for Tuesday. The date of the official announcement was first reported by RaidersSnakepit.com.
The 10-year contract is the longest coaching deal in NFL history, and according to Schefter, it’s likely to be worth over nine figures.
Gruden, who coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001 and has been working as an ESPN analyst, was the leading candidate to return to Oakland even before the team fired head coach Jack Del Rio after last Sunday’s season finale.
Known as ‘Chucky’ for his resemblance to the possessed doll from the horror movie franchise of the same name, Gruden has been approached by several NFL and college teams over the years about a potential return to the sideline.
Jon Gruden (left and right with former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon) helped turn Oakland around in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He’ll return to Oakland on a record 10-year deal
Mark Davis, who inherited the Raiders from father Al Davis, knew he wanted Gruden all along
He also coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002 until 2008, during which time he defeated the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII in January of 2003.
Gruden told ESPN Radio on Wednesday that there was a ‘good chance’ he would be coach of the Raiders if owner Mark Davis offers him the job.
However, Gruden shot down speculation hatched by ESPN’s original report on the Raiders’ interest that Davis was planning to include an ownership stake in the franchise. Oakland is scheduled to move to Las Vegas as soon as 2019.
The NFL confirmed Friday that the Raiders have complied with the Rooney Rule in their coaching search, meaning that Oakland did interview minority candidates for the position.
‘We believe the Rooney Rule was complied with. Minority candidates were interviewed,’ NFL executive vice president of communications Joe Lockhart said during a conference call. ‘We’ll see what decision they make.’
Gruden, who is expected to officially interview with the team on Monday, compiled a 95-81 record during his first run as an NFL head coach from 1998-2008.
After coaching the Raiders for four seasons, Gruden guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first and only Super Bowl title during the 2002 season. He won five divisional titles during his 11 combined seasons with the Raiders and Bucs.
The Raiders are led by running back and Oakland native Marshawn Lynch (left) as well as quarterback Derek Carr (right). They finished 6-10 in 2017 after reaching the playoffs in 2016
Deceased Raiders owner Al Davis originally hired Gruden in 1998 when he served as the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator. Davis’s son Mark reportedly offered Gruden a 10-year deal worth $100 million, even though he’s been out of the NFL since 2008
Gruden has served as a color commentator for the ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ broadcasts since 2009.
The Raiders fired Del Rio after four consecutive losses to complete a 6-10 record. Del Rio went 12-4 with the Raiders in 2016, ending a 14-year playoff drought, and signed a contract extension before the 2017 season.
Davis and Gruden have remained friendly since Gruden’s previous stint as head coach in Oakland ended in 2001. The Raiders traded Gruden to the Buccaneers in February, and then Gruden guided his new team to a Super Bowl victory over the Raiders.
Gruden said Tuesday he understood the Raiders were going through the process of interviewing candidates but did not confirm he was on that list.
‘My understanding is they’re interviewing candidates this week,’ Gruden said, ‘and they’re going to let everybody know sometime early next week or whenever they make their decision.’
Gruden (left) and play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough (right) called Monday Night Football games for ESPN in recent years as NFL teams have tried to hire the former coach