Rich Gannon says Jon Gruden could return to coach Oakland Raiders

The Houston Texans interviewed Lovie Smith for their head coaching vacancy but they won’t be the only team this offseason looking for a new head coach. The Oakland Raiders are still employing Dennis Allen but that could change in the final few weeks of the season and if it does, former Super Bowl quarterback Rich Gannon believes an old, scrunchy face could be returning to the sidelines.

Gannon spoke on 95.7FM in the Bay Area and hinted towards a Jon Gruden return to Oakland. Gannon said that he’s spoken directly to Gruden and from their conversations, believes that the former Raiders head coach has a desire to return to the place where he grabbed his first NFL head coaching gig.

"“I know that he still has the desire to get back and do it at some point,” Gannon said.  “I don’t know when.  I don’t know where.  But I know this, that he had two bad experiences as a head coach with some owners that he just had a tough time with.  And you know I think it’s pretty clear that he didn’t necessarily see eye to eye with Mr. Davis . . . . and I think he wants to go somewhere where he’s got an owner that’s not gonna, you know, try and pick the roster and try and call the plays, and just a guy that he can just come in and work for and hire a staff and get the thing turned around.”"

This isn’t the first time Gruden returning to the Raiders has been brought up or speculated. Before the team hired Dennis Allen, there was talk that Gruden could return to Oakland like a knight in shining armor. It didn’t happen then and might not happen now, but Gannon is clearly starting the dialog before the seat in Oakland is even empty.