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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18 Mar 2001: Saladin McCoullough #24 of the Los Angeles Xtreme is tackled by Stephen Fisher #35 and Louis Riddick #33 of Orlando Rage at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Xtreme defeated the Rage 31-6.Mandatory Credit: Christopher Ruppel /Allsport /

1. Louis Riddick

One of the best possible candidates for the coveted Monday Night Football position is already in-house for ESPN and his name is Louis Riddick. Having the unique experience of being an NFL player, scou, and a director of pro personnel for two separate teams, Riddick knows the ins and outs of both sides of the NFL. If he wanted to go on a weird XFL tangent, Riddick could pull that off as well. He was a member of the Orlando Rage back in 2001. ESPN can obviously trust him as he’s been an on-air talent since 2013.

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Anytime Riddick is on television, he comes across as knowledgeable and thoughtful. He’s a level-headed person who doesn’t seem to have too many hot takes, and he doesn’t say things just to draw attention to himself. He can talk football all day long and the NFL must still have plenty of respect for him.

He just interviewed for the New York Giants GM job before they hired Dave Gettleman. New York’s decision has been a gain for ESPN and it would be wonderful to see Riddick in a high profile role. He usually appears on SportsCenter after the Monday Night game as is. It’s a rare time when a viewer doesn’t gain something when Riddick talks football. There’s no reason Riddick wouldn’t be dynamite in this role.

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