Raiders confirm Gruden's return
Confirming the worst-kept secret in sports, the Oakland Raiders announced Saturday that Jon Gruden will be their next head coach.
The Raiders made the proclamation on Twitter above a photo of Gruden from his first stint as Oakland's coach, from 1998 to 2001. The tweet read: "Welcome back, Coach Gruden. Let's get to work. #BackInBlack #RaiderNation" The photo caption read: "UNFINISHED BUSINESS"
The team also acknowledged that it will introduce Gruden at a Tuesday news conference.
Multiple media outlets reported that Gruden will receive a 10-year, $100 million contract, though the team did not confirm the terms of the deal.
The Sunday announcement came shortly after Gruden's final broadcast as an ESPN game analyst. He worked the Tennessee Titans' 22-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Gruden, who coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001 and has been working as an ESPN analyst, was the leading candidate to return to Oakland even before the team fired head coach Jack Del Rio after last Sunday's season finale.
Since 2009, Gruden was the color commentator on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" broadcasts.
That role came after his coaching tenure with the Raiders and the Buccaneers. Oakland traded him to Tampa Bay after the 2001 season, and the following season he guided the Buccaneers to their only Super Bowl title -- a game in which they beat the Raiders.
Gruden holds a 95-81 regular-season record as a head coach and a 5-4 mark in the postseason.
The Raiders fired Del Rio last week after the conclusion of a 6-10 season. Reports immediately indicated Gruden was in line for the job, but the Raiders needed to interview minority candidates for the position to comply with the "Rooney Rule" before officially hiring Gruden.
Del Rio was the Raiders' coach for three seasons, the longest tenure among the team's nine head coaches since Gruden's departure. Del Rio compiled a 25-23 record with Oakland.
--Field Level Media
