Sources: Jon Gruden a focal point in L.A. Rams' coaching search
Charles Robinson
NFL columnist
Jon Gruden last coached in the NFL in 2008. (AP
The Los Angeles Rams are moving toward a meeting with ESPN analyst Jon Gruden about the team’s head coaching vacancy, multiple sources with knowledge of the Rams’ coaching search have told Yahoo Sports. The sources indicated Gruden has become a focal point on the Rams’ list of candidates, but that other candidates could also come into play – notably Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw and New Orleans Saints coach Asshole Face.
It’s not known whether Shaw or Payton have any level of interest in the Rams job, but multiple sources said Gruden would be inclined to listen if the Rams were willing to grant him full personnel authority. One source said such a concession would be a “must” for Gruden to even consider taking a meeting with franchise leadership in the coming days. The Rams will consider granting personnel authority to at least some of the candidates in their search and that Gruden is among that group, a source told Yahoo Sports.
Gruden, Shaw and Payton are three names that continue to fit the theme of the early list of Rams candidates who would make a big splash in the market. The team also had initial interest in Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and University of Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh but both quickly brushed off any consideration for the opening. If Shaw is interested, the Rams could quickly set a meeting with his representatives. Seeking Payton would be more complicated, as he signed a five-year contract extension with the Saints last offseason and the Rams would first need to reach some level of agreement on potential draft-pick compensation with New Orleans.
A meeting with Gruden would be far less burdensome, particularly considering there is already some high-level familiarity with the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders coach. Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff previously spent four years with the Buccaneers from 2005-09, overlapping with the final four years of Gruden’s tenure as head coach of the Buccaneers. During that time, Demoff was a senior assistant to then-general manager Bruce Allen. Essentially, he had a front-row seat to see how Gruden ran his coaching staff and interacted with the personnel department. It’s that experience which is believed to be elevating Gruden on the list – along with Gruden’s high profile.
Those who have spent time with Gruden say he has continued to believe he could again coach at a championship level in the NFL, particularly with rule changes that have given more leeway to offenses in recent years. But they’ve also said he has viewed his options for a return very selectively and largely predicated on a team’s quarterback situation. In that respect, Gruden’s belief in Jared Goff would be key.
It’s
notable that he gushed about Goff in one of his “QB Camp” features on ESPN and also in some other interviews. While such public praise is taken with a grain of salt in many corners of the NFL, one source close to Gruden said he has also privately expressed that he believes Goff is a franchise quarterback.
“He does believe in him – that’s not just for TV,” one source familiar with Gruden said. “He thinks [Goff] has the stuff to be a franchise quarterback. I don’t know if Jon would have traded the farm to get him, but he sees him as a guy that was worthy of building a team around him. He sees leadership and star power there.”
Interestingly, those are two traits the Rams might value most in Gruden, too. Not just that he has been to a pair of Super Bowls and won a ring, but also because he has the type of high profile that will resonate with the Rams’ fan base. For financial reasons, that is expected to play a factor in the next head coaching hire.
While other names have been raised in the Rams’ search, sources have told Yahoo Sports there is a business component that will also factor – specifically, the plan of Rams owner Stan Kroenke to sell hundreds of millions of dollars in personal seat licenses for the new Inglewood stadium. The Rams are expected to begin that effort in force in early 2017 – not exactly an ideal launching point with the Los Angeles fan base already seeming to have grown frustrated with the team.
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