Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden announced Tuesday he was staying in Cincinnati, so the next step might have just been a formality.
Bengals on the right track for '12
After a surprising run that included a playoff berth, Elliot Harrison writes that the Cincinnati Bengals have some quality pieces in place, but need a little more on defense before they are division contender. **More ...**
But Gruden has signed a three-year extension worth $3.6 million, a league source has confirmed to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Gruden, 44, has been a hot name in league circles after joining the Bengals before this season. He told the Bengals' official website he wasn't concerned with hurting his chances of getting interviews in the future.
"I'm new to this. If I'd been in the league 25 years, I would have interviewed," Gruden said. "I just got here. I want to focus on the job at hand. There's no guarantee you're going to get the job. I just wanted to put it to bed and move on with what we've got going here. I was sick of reading tweets I knew nothing about."
The St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars had wanted to interview Gruden for their head-coaching vacancies, league sources told NFL Network's Jason La Canfora, before Gruden withdrew his name from consideration.
