5 potential NFL head coaching gigs for Jon Gruden

Jan 23, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; ESPN broadcaster and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders former coach Jon Gruden at Team Irvin practice at Scottsdale Community College in advance of the 2015 Pro Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; ESPN broadcaster and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders former coach Jon Gruden at Team Irvin practice at Scottsdale Community College in advance of the 2015 Pro Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 11, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Buffalo won 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Buffalo won 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

Tennessee Titans

To directly quote Gruden from way back in February, he told ESPN colleague Pat Yasinskas, “If you don’t like Marcus Mariota, you don’t like human beings.” Talk about a ringing endorsement of the Titans’ franchise quarterback.

The Titans took Mariota second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft and are now without a permanent head coach since moving on from Ken Whisenhunt several weeks ago. Gruden annually hosts his QB Camp, where he brings in some of the upcoming draft’s best passing prospects and takes the young men through a crash course on what it takes to play in the National Football League.

In his rookie season, Mariota is proving that he is more than a product of the up-tempo offense at the University of Oregon. He has 16 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions in his first nine games as an NFL starter.

Gruden may find the opportunity to pair up with Mariota and an improving Tennessee defense in Nashville too good to pass up. Once the offseason arrives, the available head coaching gig for the Titans is now exponentially more appealing than it was two years ago when Whisenhunt was hired. Gruden would also stand as the best head coach in the traditionally weak AFC South.

Next: Cleveland Browns