The Raiders officially need a new head coach.
On Monday night, Jon Gruden informed the team that he will resign as head coach after a New York Times piece was written in regard to emails he sent over a seven-year period starting in 2011. At the time, Gruden was working for ESPN and was not employed by the NFL, but it was clear that he could no longer continue to work in the league.
The piece showed a number of concerning emails with vulgar criticism directed at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, President Barack Obama and other figures. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders received word of these emails on Friday but did not take action over the weekend. Instead, Gruden coached on Sunday against the Bears in a 20-9 loss at Allegiant Stadium.
The news of Gruden’s resignation was first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero via his Twitter account.
Source: Jon Gruden just informed his staff that he plans to resign as #Raiders coach.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 12, 2021
Gruden was hired by the Raiders in 2018 for his second stint with the team; he also coached them from 1998-2001, earning AFC West titles in 2000 and 2001.
This year, the Raiders were off to a strong start. They opened up the season at 3-0 for the first time since 2002, which is the last time the Raiders made the playoffs. They lost in the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 48-21.
The Raiders have several former head coaches on staff who could take Gruden’s place for the rest of the season. Look for either Gus Bradley, Rod Marinelli or Tom Cable to be named the interim coach.