default-cbs-image

Jack Del Rio went 25-23 in three seasons with the Raiders, including a 12-4 campaign in 2016. In the three years before his arrival the team combined for 11 wins. On Sunday, Del Rio announced he had been fired.

The timing seems odd -- until you hear the report that surfaced over the weekend: Jon Gruden has been talked out of the booth and back onto the field and he will be the Raiders' next coach. ESPN's Adam Schefter reiterated as much in the hours after Del Rio's dismissal.

"For Jack Del Rio to walk into his press conference minutes after his game ended yesterday to say that the Raiders' owner Mark Davis had informed him that he's no longer coaching the team tells you that the Jon Gruden talk is real, and that it's going to happen," Schefter said during a Monday morning appearance on SportsCenter.

That Del Rio, who was just given an extension in February and was the first coach to lead the Raiders to a winning record and the playoffs since 2002, was fired "validated all the Jon Gruden talk," said Schefter, "barring a last-minute change of heart."

"Listen, [the Raiders] will go through the process this week," he continued. "They have to comply with the Rooney Rule, they have to meet other candidates, and the general manager Reggie McKenzie will talk to other coaching candidates. But I think that's done as a safeguard in the event that Jon Gruden changes his mind because he's been so tough to pin down over the years. ... But again, all signs point to him being the Raiders coach.

"... You do not let go of Jack Del Rio unless you believe you're going to be able to get Jon Gruden. That's it. That's the bottom line."

When Gruden was asked about the report on Saturday evening he didn't exactly shoot it down.

"I don't want to sit here and speculate. ... There is no news to report," he told the Bay Area News Group. "I can't say I haven't taken any phone calls. I take a lot every year from coaches, some others. ... Yeah, sometimes owners. Guys want to bounce ideas off me. I'm here to help people."

For now, ESPN says Gruden will be in the booth for the network's coverage of Saturday's Titans-Chiefs wild-card matchup. Beyond that, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports that the Raiders "are confident" Gruden will eventually say yes to succeeding Del Rio, and he'll target Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther to reprise that role in Oakland.

Meanwhile, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that Gruden "is expected to be interested in hiring [Jets] offensive coordinator John Morton." The Jets had the 21st-ranked offense in 2017, according to Football Outsiders' metrics but Oakland has something New York doesn't: A franchise quarterback. And not just that, but a franchise quarterback Gruden has long been impressed with.

Still, is Gruden an upgrade over Del Rio? Owner Mark Davis seems convinced but history is less certain.

Either way, Schefter speculates that Gruden will officially be announced as the Raiders' new head coach in "about a week."