Former NFL coach Jon Gruden on Friday said he nearly "pulled the trigger" on taking the Tennessee job while he was still working at ESPN:

Now 61, Gruden didn’t say exactly when it was that he considered taking the Tennessee job, though he did mention It was during his time working alongside Mike Tirico on Monday Night Football from 2011-14. The Volunteers had a coaching opening after the 2012 season, when Derek Dooley was fired and replaced by Jones.

Jon Gruden revealed that he almost took a college coaching job way before even sniffing barstool on a recent podcast

Gruden took a coaching consultant role with the New Orleans Saints in 2023, and he joined the Milano Seamen of the European League of Football as an advisor, but his most notable gig has been his heightened presence on social media.

As it turns out, Jon Gruden really was a candidate for the Tennessee job at one point. The veteran coach joined Barstool Sports this week and appeared on Pardon My Take. Gruden was of course asked about the Tennessee job that he apparently flirted with.

Newly-hired by Barstool Sports, former Super Bowl-winning NFL head coach Jon Gruden is reflecting on some of the missed opportunities he's had, which includes a high-profile head coaching job. Appearing on Pardon My Take,

If you've been a Tennessee Vols fan for longer than 10 years, you're almost certainly familiar with "Grumors". During Tennessee's coaching searches in 2012 and 2017, rumors about the Vols' interest in former NFL head coach Jon Gruden flooded the internet.