As Gruden forges ahead with his latest role, his near-move to Tennessee remains a fascinating “what if” in the landscape of college football.
Jon Gruden, one of football’s most
colorful personalities, recently revealed
that he came close to leaving his position
as an analyst at ESPN to take the head
coaching job at the University of
Tennessee. During a candid interview on
Barstool Sports’ *Pardon My Take*,
Gruden reflected on the opportunity and
how his love for Tennessee almost led
him to make the leap.
A Personal Connection to Tennessee.
Gruden’s ties to Tennessee run deep,
beginning with his stint as a graduate
assistant coach for the Volunteers in the
mid-1980s. Adding to this connection is
his wife Cindy, a former cheerleader at
the university. During the interview,
Gruden expressed his admiration for
Tennessee legends like Peyton Manning
and country music star Kenny Chesney,
calling them two of his favorite
Tennessee figures.
“My wife cheered at Tennessee,” Gruden
explained. “I love Tennessee. I was a
graduate coach there, and I did talk to
the Athletic Director. And I don’t look up
to anybody more than I look up to Peyton
Manning and Kenny Chesney. Those are
two of my favorite Tennessee guys. And I
was very interested in doing it.”
Gruden’s enthusiasm for Tennessee is
evident, but his ultimate decision to
remain at ESPN stemmed from his
enjoyment of broadcasting at the time.
The Allure of Monday Night Football.
Between coaching stints with the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers and the Las Vegas
Raiders, Gruden became a household
name as a commentator on ESPN’s
*Monday Night Football*. Paired with
Mike Tirico, Gruden was a key part of the
show’s success from 2011 to 2014.
“At that time I was having so much fun
on Monday Night Football with Mike
Tirico, I couldn’t take any other job,”
Gruden said. “To be in the thought
process is always exciting, and hell,
Tennessee was one that is really close to
my heart. I almost did consider pulling
the trigger there.”
Gruden’s passion for broadcasting and
his chemistry with Tirico ultimately
outweighed the temptation to return to
the sidelines.
When Was the Offer?
While Gruden didn’t specify the exact
year of the Tennessee talks, context
suggests it occurred between 2011 and
2014. This timeline aligns with his tenure
on *Monday Night Football* and a well-
documented coaching search at
Tennessee following the firing of Derek
Dooley in 2012.
At the time, rumors swirled about
Gruden being a top candidate for the
Volunteers. Despite his agent publicly
dismissing these claims as baseless,
Gruden’s recent comments confirm that
there was genuine interest on his part.
“It’s now clear, 12 years later, that it was
much more than rumors,” noted
*On3.com*. “It was much more than the
Tennessee A.D. doing ‘due diligence’ and
finding out Gruden wasn’t interested.”
The opportunity may have been enticing,
but Gruden’s decision to stay in
broadcasting allowed him to further
cement his status as one of the NFL’s
most recognizable voices.
A Coaching Career That Could Have Taken a Different Turn.
Had Gruden accepted the Tennessee job,
it could have reshaped the trajectory of
his career and possibly the fortunes of
the Volunteers. Instead, Tennessee hired
Butch Jones, who led the program from
2013 to 2017 with mixed results. Gruden,
meanwhile, remained in the national
spotlight as a broadcaster before making
his return to the NFL in 2018 as the
Raiders’ head coach.
Gruden’s tenure with the Raiders ended
in controversy when emails containing
offensive language surfaced, prompting
his resignation in 2021. Following a brief
hiatus from public life, Gruden recently
joined Barstool Sports, where he appears
to be embracing a new chapter in his
career.
Reflecting on What Might Have Been.
Gruden’s revelation is a reminder of the
unpredictability of coaching careers and
how close Tennessee came to landing a
marquee name. It also underscores the
layers of spin and misdirection that often
surround high-profile job negotiations in
sports.
“In this business, bullshit is everywhere,”
wrote *ProFootballTalk’s* Mike Florio in
response to Gruden’s comments. “It’s
never wise to take anything at face value
— especially not a denial of interest in a
new job.”
While Gruden never donned the orange
and white as Tennessee’s head coach, his
deep connection to the program and
respect for its legacy remain intact.
Whether or not fans view his decision as
a missed opportunity, one thing is clear:
the allure of *Monday Night Football*
and his passion for broadcasting
ultimately kept him in the booth during
what could have been a transformative
era for Volunteers football.
