WATCH: Jon Gruden basically predicted how Case Keenum's career would go
The Oakland Raiders coach once told Case Keenum he would get his shot
With Jon Gruden getting the job with the Oakland Raiders, everyone has been revisiting his "QB Camp" series with ESPN to sort of dig into his feelings about quarterbacks he might coach and/or coach against. Gruden's comments about Derek Carr were prescient in that he said "I want you" and he ended up getting him when he walked out of the ESPN booth to take over the Raiders.
Gruden apparently saw the future when it came to Vikings quarterback Case Keenum, because he told him, before Keenum went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, that it just took a single coach for his career to finally click.
The Raiders coach also noted, over five years ago now, that the draft is irrelevant and that Keenum needed to "just be ready" and "keep competing" and that one day he would "get your chance."
"Does the draft really matter? I bet you a Coke, I bet you an FCSA visor that you can't name the top three picks in the draft two years ago [in 2010]," Gruden said.
"Ahhh. You know, I think we went through it. I know [Sam] Bradford, because he was a quarterback. But, uh," Keenum replied before being cut off.
"That's my point," Gruden interrupted. "Does the draft really matter? Does it really matter? At the end of the day, at the end of time, does it really matter? All it takes is one coach who believes in you.
"Make a note here. Just be ready. Just be ready. Just be ready. Because you're going to get your chance. You like this stuff. You're going to be alright, Keenum. You just keep competing, you just keep working. Somebody's going to take you. Somebody's not. Somebody's going to be sorry."
Here's the video of the exchange:
Jon Gruden was right @casekeenum7pic.twitter.com/5vjtu04msD
— John Meyer (@thedailywolf) January 15, 2018
Gruden was not wrong. Keenum took a long and winding path towards becoming the starting quarterback of the Vikings. He had numerous opportunities to call the dogs off and give up on his NFL career before he was given the opportunity to take over after -- oddly -- Bradford went down.
This doesn't even tell a fraction of @casekeenum7 journey! Never stop believing. 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/8vNug54EsR
— Erik Burkhardt (@ErikBurkhardt) January 15, 2018
At one point in 2015 he was splitting reps with Nick Foles and the next year he was doing the same with Jared Goff. The NFL is littered with journeyman quarterbacks who never got a chance to show what they could do in a starting quarterback role.
Keenum knows as well as anyone just how fine the line is between having a shot and being relegated to the bench truly is. And maybe Gruden does too.
















