On paper, the Raiders had a team with franchise cornerstones in quarterback Derek Carr, his best friend Mack, and 2-time Pro Bowl receiver, Amari Cooper. The NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement restricted the amount of interaction between coaches and players during the offseason. Behind closed doors, it was evident that Mack would never play another down in Silver and Black again. Mack’s agent Joel Segal countered back with a myriad of unrealistic demands along with a higher annual salary. It was pretty apparent that the Raiders wanted to keep Mack but at their price, which according to sources, was a very handsome offer which would have made him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. Both parties dug in deep with neither side budging a millimeter. Gruden 2.0 got off to a really rocky start with all-world defensive-end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack holding out. Whether or not that was a wise move remains to be seen. Yet here you have Mark defying his father’s ideology. ![]() Mark’s father, the great Al Davis, always felt as though no player or coach should be the singular face of the Raiders. Davis essentially made Gruden the face of the franchise once again. During the introductory press conference, Davis famously stated, “it is the biggest day of my life” to have Gruden back leading the team. On January 6 th, 2018, Mark Davis hired Jon Gruden to be the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for the second time. It’s Jon Gruden 2.0 For Las Vegas Raidersĭon’t talk about it Jon Gruden, be about it. © 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc.Photo Credit: Terrance Quaites Franchise Sports Media “I’m going to do everything I can to help this team get right again.” It’s been a while since the team has consistently performed at a high level. I feel a lot of loyalty and responsibility to get the Raiders going again. I hope people understand the emotion inside,” he added. “I don’t have a guarantee to be alive for 10 years, just so people know,” Gruden said. Though he warned he didn’t know how long he’d last, Gruden vowed to bring just as much effort to getting the Raiders back to prominence. With the 10-year deal, Gruden is back home. “Somebody asked me, what was harder - to get the 31 votes to move to Las Vegas? Or to get Jon Gruden? And by far to get Jon Gruden was the toughest.” “Everybody knows I’ve been infatuated with him or whatever to get him here, but they really didn’t know how deep our conversations were going, how far along we were in that to make it happen,” Davis said. That led Davis to decide to cut ties with coach Jack Del Rio as soon as the disappointing six-win season ended and finalize a deal with Gruden. It became even more serious when they met on Christmas Eve before the Raiders played in Philadelphia in a game Gruden worked for ESPN. Davis said he first got an inkling Gruden might be ready to return when he met with him during the season when the Raiders spent a week in Florida to talk about how to fix the team. Mark Davis said he had been trying to bring Gruden back for six years ever since taking over the franchise following his father’s death and the opportunity was finally right this year. He was at ESPN ever since, forever flirting with the possibility of a return. Gruden was involved in a rare coaching trade to the Buccaneers, where he won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season, and lasted in Tampa until 2008. Gruden coaches the Raiders against the Jets in a 2002 AFC wild card game. But here I am, I’m ready to get to work.”Ībout 50 former Raiders sat in the audience Gruden’s introduction, including several of his former players like Woodson, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Rich Gannon. “Brady fumbled that ball,” Gruden said, before turning serious. The $100 million man would not talk about his 10-year contract, but did show some of the entertainment chops that he has honed at ESPN since 2009.Īfter a highlight reel of Gruden’s first Oakland stint, Gruden thanked his family and all in attendance, then had a message for Charles Woodson, the former safety who was on hand and was part of Gruden’s last Raiders game: a 2001 AFC divisional round matchup with the Patriots that will forever be known as the Tuck Rule game. “Once a Raider, always a Raider,” team owner Mark Davis opened Tuesday in introducing the coach who guided the team from 1998-2001. ![]() Jon Gruden has officially returned as the head coach of the Raiders. Retired NFL player lists custom Tahoe mansion for $10.2M The NFL's other quarterback changes make the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes pretty confusing Influencer NFL wife reacts to former WAG's sad 'truth' about cheating players
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