Raiders Coaching Staff
Jon
Gruden
Head Coach
20th season in NFL
6th season with Raiders
Jon Gruden returned as head coach of the Oakland Raiders on Jan. 9, 2018,
welcoming back one of the most respected and successful coaches in the
storied history of the Silver and Black. Gruden, who was first introduced
as head coach of the Raiders over 20 years ago, served four seasons with the
Raiders from 1998-2001.
In his first season back on the sideline in 2018, Gruden oversaw the
development of quarterback Derek Carr, who established career single-season
highs in completions (381), passing yards (4,049) and completion percentage
(68.9). Carr also piloted three fourth quarter/overtime game-winning drives
on the season and set a franchise record by throwing 332 consecutive passes
without an interception, a streak that covered 10 games.
The naming of Gruden marked his return to coaching after spending nearly
a decade in broadcasting, including color analyst duties on the Monday Night
Football franchise from 2009-2017. Gruden compiled a 95-81 (.540) regular
season mark in 11 seasons as a head coach with the Raiders and the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers (2002-08), and a 5-4 record (.556) in postseason contests, which
includes a victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The youngest head coach in the NFL at age 34 upon his initial hire by Raiders
Owner Al Davis in 1998, Gruden posted a 38-26 record (.594) and led the
Silver and Black to back-to-back AFC West titles in 2000 and 2001. He guided
the Raiders to an AFC Championship Game appearance in 2000, a campaign
in which the Raiders set a franchise record with 479 points and led the NFL in
rushing (154.4 avg.).
The Raiders ranked in the top-seven in total offense in three of Gruden’s four
seasons in Oakland, including the top-three in rushing twice and the top-seven
in passing once. Defensively, Gruden’s units twice ranked among the league’s
top-10 in total defense, including the fifth-overall rush defense in 2000 and two
top-nine finishes in passing defense.
In all, Gruden-led teams have claimed five division championships and have
recorded six seasons with nine-or-more wins. As a head coach, he has seen
22 different players combine for 40 Pro Bowl selections. He has also coached
recipients of the Associated Press’ Defensive Rookie of the Year (Charles
Woodson – 1998), Defensive Player of the Year (Derrick Brooks – 2002) and
Offensive Rookie of the Year (Carnell “Cadillac” Williams – 2005) Awards. In
addition, Rich Gannon was tabbed for the Maxwell Club’s Bert Bell Award as the
league’s Most Valuable Player in 2000 and four players who Gruden tutored as
a head coach have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jerry Rice
(2010), Warren Sapp (2013), Brooks (2014) and Tim Brown (2015).
Regarded as one of the league’s top quarterback mentors, Gruden tutored
Gannon to three Pro Bowl selections in Oakland and two of the then-top three
single-season passing yardage totals in Raiders history. Gannon was the first
of three quarterbacks under Gruden as a head coach to be selected for the
Pro Bowl (1999-2001), as both Brad Johnson (2002) and Jeff Garcia (2007)
earned recognition during his time with the Buccaneers. Gruden became just
the fifth head coach since 1980 to win four-or-more division titles with four
different quarterbacks starting in the playoffs.
Gruden joined ESPN in 2009 as an analyst for Monday Night Football and
contributed analysis year-round on ESPN’s platforms, earning six Sports Emmy
nominations. In addition to Monday Night Football, Gruden was part of ESPN’s
annual NFL Draft coverage and his Gruden’s QB Camp series became one of the
network’s most anticipated programs each year.
His QB Camp primetime series debuted in 2010, featuring in-depth, oneon
one interviews and film sessions in which he mentored top quarterback
prospects. The success of Gruden’s QB Camp show led to similar specials,
including a Gruden’s Champ Camp special with New Orleans Saints Super Bowl
winners Drew Brees and Sean Payton in 2010, as well as a SportsCenter Special
with Brett Favre prior to his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Gruden conducted regular film study at his Tampa office – affectionately
named the FFCA (Fired Football Coaches Association), welcoming high school,
college and professional coaches to discuss football strategy, philosophy and to
review game film.
Gruden spent seven seasons as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
finishing his time there as the winningest coach in franchise history by compiling a
57-55 (.509) regular-season record, while leading the Buccaneers to three division
titles and a 3-2 mark in the postseason. Under Gruden’s direction, Tampa Bay
posted three top-15 finishes in passing offense and boasted five top-five defenses,
including the league’s overall leader in defense in both 2002 (252.8 avg.) and
2005 (277.8 avg.). The Buccaneers’ defensive units also led the NFL in passing
defense in 2002 (155.6 avg.), 2004 (161.2 avg.) and 2007 (170.5 avg.).
Tampa Bay posted a 9-7 record in 2008, narrowly missing the playoffs
despite recording the team’s most net passing yards (3,619) since 2003 and
scoring the second-most points (361) in team history at the time.
In 2007, Gruden led the Buccaneers to their third NFC South title in six
years, becoming the first coach in team history to claim three division titles. He
also became the first coach to win multiple NFC South titles since the division
was created in 2002 and his five-career division crowns were tied for second
among active coaches at the time. The team averaged 4.17 yards per rushing
attempt, which ranked second in club history, and the 117.0 yards per game on
the ground marked the sixth-highest average in team annals. Defensively, the
Bucs ranked second in the NFL (278.4 avg.) and topped the league in passing
defense (170.5 avg.).
The Buccaneers notched an 11-5 record and their second NFC South title
in four years in 2005, led by Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year
Williams, who set a Tampa Bay rookie record with 1,178 rushing yards. The
defense finished as the top-ranked unit in the league (277.8 avg.), marking the
fourth-straight year that the team ranked among the top-five in total defense,
and the second time that the group ranked first under Gruden.
The Buccaneers’ offensive revival continued in 2003 as the team broke the
franchise record for total offense (340.8 avg.) and passing offense (237.8 avg.),
posting top-10 marks in both categories. On defense, the unit ranked fifth in the
NFL (279.1 avg.) and boasted the league’s third-best passing defense (169.4 avg.).
Gruden piloted Tampa Bay to its first-ever Super Bowl in 2002, his first
season as head coach of the Buccaneers. The team established a franchise
record with 12 wins, eclipsing the previous mark of 11 set in 1999, and the
Bucs’ 15 overall wins were the most by a Tampa Bay team in single season.
Gruden became the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl
and was also the first non-rookie head coach in the history of the NFL to lead
his group to the Super Bowl in his first season with a new team. In addition,
Gruden became just the third coach since 1966 to win 40 games before his
40th birthday while also becoming only the third head coach in NFL history to
lead a different team to a playoff appearance in consecutive years.
The Buccaneers’ offense came together down the stretch, averaging 35.3
points and 334.0 yards per game in its three postseason contests. The offensive
line surrendered just one sack in the postseason after allowing 2.6 sacks per
game during the regular season.
18 2019 Gameday