Oakland Raiders: 5 burning questions in 2018

1. How will Gruden fare in his return to coaching?

Back in 1998 Jon Gruden got his first head coaching gig in Oakland, hired by the late Al Davis. He was there for four seasons before being traded, yes traded, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to the 2002 season. Two 8-8 seasons, followed by 12-4 and 10-6 campaigns in 2000 and 2001 culminated in a Super Bowl journey in 2002. In that Super Bowl the Raiders lost to the Buccaneers, led by Gruden. Now, 17 years removed from sending Gruden to Florida, the Raiders are bringing him back, how will it pan out?

Gruden doesn’t have the best of resumes despite being a Super Bowl winning head coach. He has a career regular season record of 95-81, barely above .500. His playoff record is similar with five wins in nine games. Some could argue he was a better broadcaster than coach, but maybe this second chance will prove better than the first.

Gruden has adopted some good players that he will be able to work with. Carr is a talented quarterback, Mack is a terrific pass rusher, and Gruden has claimed to be a huge fan of Lynch. There are some intriguing rookies as well, and with 10 years to work with, Gruden has the ability to build a foundation that will last.

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Gruden is being handed the keys to the castle. A 10-year contract at $10 million per is not the contract of a head coach, rather an executive closer to a general manager. With the opportunity comes a huge amount of responsibility as he will be to blame if things do not work out. If Gruden can unlock the key players in Oakland and get the most out of them, the Raiders have the potential to be a great team.