5 possible replacements for Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and now ESPN Monday Night Football Analyst Jon Gruden looks on during pre-game warm ups before an NFL football game between the New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum on November 18, 2012 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 24: Head coaches Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts and Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals talk before the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on November 24, 2013 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

5. Bruce Arians and Chuck Pagano

This pairing would be a lot of fun, even if it’s pretty unlikely. A three-man booth can sometimes be a bit chaotic as all three announcers need time to get their thoughts across. However, Bruce Arians and Chuck Pagano could make it work. It’s not the first time they would be partners as Arians acted as the interim coach in Indianapolis when Pagano underwent treatment for cancer. That actually led to Arians being hired in Arizona and these two men go way back. Viewers would hugely benefit from these two former coaches teaching about the game.

Even if ESPN were interested, it wouldn’t seem like these two would reciprocate the interest. Pagano still be able to step in as a coordinator or position coach if he pleases. Things may not have worked well with the Colts, but Pagano still has enough respect to find another job without much issue. If Pagano was ready to step aside and get out of the NFL grind, the booth for Monday Night Football could be a nice fit. He’s been in football a long time and could be a great teacher.

As for Arians, there’s a ton of knowledge for him to share with viewers. The issue is he just retired from the Cardinals and was very vocal about wanting to spend more time with his family and his forever home in Georgia. Now, stepping into the booth with Sean McDonough and Pagano would be a nice bridge between full-on retirement and coaching an NFL team. Arians would still be around players which he said he will dearly miss. It’s not quite the same but it would be a great chance for a football lifer. ESPN would just need to keep that bleep button handy. Arians uses swear words the same way some people use adjectives.

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