The Los Angeles Rams have begun their search for a new head coach after firing Jeff Fisher a little over a week ago.
They have been targeting a lot of big name head coaches, and have already reportedly been turned down by a few like Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll.
But the appeal of coaching the Rams in Los Angeles and opening a new stadium in a couple of years has to appeal to at least one coach, and many thought that would be Jon Gruden.
Gruden has moved to the top of the Rams list, as he already lives in Los Angeles and although he hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2008, he has a track record of being one of the best coaches in football.
Gruden has been offered many head coaching jobs over the years, but has refused to leave the booth at ESPN where he is a color commentator on Monday Night Football.
While many thought the Rams job could be the one to lure him away from the booth, on ESPN’s ‘Mike and Mike’ Wednesday morning, he said that he has no intentions of returning to coaching right now:
“I love football. I’ve said that a million times and I just want to say I’m very happy doing what I’m doing,” Gruden said. “My full attention and focus is on the Cowboys-Lions. I cannot wait for our final Monday night game. There’s a lot of chips on the table. But right now, I have no intentions of coaching. I really enjoy what I’m doing and I feel like I’m really close to the fire. I’m getting plenty of satisfaction out of doing what I’m doing.”
Just because Gruden said this does not mean that he can be crossed off the Rams list as when the regular season ends and they formally make Gruden an offer, he can possibly change his mind.
To get him to do that though it would not only take a lot of money, which the Kroenke family can surely afford, but Gruden would likely want total control of team operations.
Other coaches the Rams could be interested in include New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Stanford head coach David Shaw.
