The New Orleans Saints are reportedly considering adding Jon Gruden to their coaching staff, according to NOLA.com. Gruden, who resigned in October 2021 after racist, sexist, and homophobic emails surfaced, visited with Saints officials during Week 17, attending a team meeting and dining with staff, including EVP and GM Mickey Loomis.
While Gruden’s future as a head coach remains uncertain, there is mutual interest between him and the Saints in joining their coaching staff. The Saints have not made any official statements regarding potential changes to their offensive coaching staff, but Dennis Allen, who expects to return as head coach next season, acknowledged that there will be differences in the coaching staff for the 2023 season.
During his end-of-season press conference, Allen mentioned that the team is open to new ideas and may need to consider doing things differently. While they want to retain some of the offensive strategies that have proven successful in the league, they are also looking at ways to make improvements.
Gruden, a former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, has not coached since his resignation in October 2021. He filed a lawsuit against the league and commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming that the leaks of his emails tarnished his reputation and ruined his career. Gruden had previously coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001 and won a Super Bowl as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It is worth noting that the Saints’ interest in Gruden could be controversial, considering the nature of the emails that led to his resignation. Gruden’s comments were widely criticized for their offensive and discriminatory content. The Saints will need to carefully consider the potential backlash and public perception if they decide to bring Gruden on board.
Overall, the potential addition of Jon Gruden to the New Orleans Saints coaching staff remains speculative at this point. While there is reported interest from both parties, no official decisions have been made. It will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds and whether the Saints ultimately choose to bring Gruden on board despite the controversy surrounding his resignation.
