The Oakland Raiders will sign Jon Gruden to the longest coaching deal in NFL history — a 10-year deal likely approaching $100 million — when it is made official Tuesday, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.
The Raiders have called a significant news conference for Tuesday, at which time they will introduce Gruden as the team’s next coach, a league source confirmed to ESPN. Gruden, who coached Oakland from 1998 to 2001 and has been working as an ESPN analyst, is returning to the Raiders to replace Jack Del Rio, who was fired after the regular-season finale on Sunday. ESPN reported Saturday that Raiders owner Mark Davis was prepared to pursue Gruden with a strong offer that could include an ownership stake in the team, which would have to be approved by NFL owners. The date of the official announcement was first reported by RaidersSnakepit.com.The NFL on Friday said the Raiders have complied with the Rooney Rule in their coaching search.
“We believe the Rooney Rule was complied with. Minority candidates were interviewed,” NFL executive vice president of communications Joe Lockhart said during a conference call Friday. “We’ll see what decision they make.”
Source: ESPN