Jon Gruden needed to physically leave the broadcast booth before his return to coaching could become official.
Gruden was officially announced as the Raiders' new head coach on Saturday night, just over an hour after Gruden finished providing on-air analysis for ESPN's broadcast of the wild-card game between Tennessee and Kansas City. The Raiders will introduce Gruden as their head coach at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
ESPN's Sean McDonough gave a heartfelt goodbye to Gruden on air during the telecast's wrap-up, and an hour later, Gruden's return to the Raiders became official, 15 years after he was traded by the franchise to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Gruden joins the Raiders on what likely will be a 10-year, $100 million contract, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday. The pact is believed to be the richest coaching contract in NFL history, according to Rapoport. NFL teams do not disclose financial details on coaching deals. Rapoport reported Gruden's coordinators are also getting four-year contracts.
Greg Olson will be Gruden's offensive coodinator, Paul Guenther will be defensive coordinator and Rich Bisaccia will coach special teams, Rapoport added. Olson and Guenther's contracts are expected to be finalized before Gruden's introductory news conference, Rappoport reported.
With potentially just one season left in Oakland before a move to Las Vegas in 2020 (2019's location has not been confirmed), the Raiders are bringing a big name to lead the franchise into a new era with a hefty commitment to go with it.
