Jon Gruden hit it off with Jaxson Dart before this year’s draft.
So will Gruden coach Dart in 2026?
With so much controversy swirling around Gruden, that seems like a bit of a long shot, even with the Giants’ big whistle job now officially open.
But on Tuesday — a day after the Giants fired Brian Daboll — Gruden’s brother, former Commanders coach Jay Gruden, stumped for Jon, calling him “a perfect candidate.”
“I know my brother loves to coach and loves football,” Jay told NJ Advance Media. “I don’t know the level of interest he would have. But he would be a hell of a candidate, because he’s a great developer of quarterbacks and understands the position as well as anybody in the world.
“If you want a quarterback to develop, you probably want Jon to do it. He’s won a lot of football games. It’s just a matter of what they want. He’d be a guy I would definitely talk to if I was the Giants. If you want to try a coach with more experience, Jon would be a perfect candidate.”
Still, it remains unclear whether the Giants — with somehow-still-employed (for now) general manager Joe Schoen leading this coaching search — are willing to take on Gruden’s baggage.
In 2021, when he coached the Raiders, he resigned under pressure after an NFL investigation uncovered emails he sent years earlier that included racist, misogynistic and homophobic slurs — including some in reference to commissioner Roger Goodell.
Gruden, 62, has not coached since. He immediately sued the NFL and Goodell, alleging a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” to destroy his career by leaking the emails.
Given all that, does Giants co-owner John Mara really want to dive into a relationship with Gruden? Perhaps not.
Then again, maybe Mara — frustrated by so much losing — might decide it’s time to take a big swing and hire Gruden.
“Yeah, why not?” Jay said. “Jon would be entertaining. And he’s really good with quarterbacks. It would be great for Jaxson. I know that.”
This much is clear: Jon Gruden is a proven winner and quarterback developer as an NFL head coach. In 2002, he won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers. He currently works for Barstool Sports. In that role, he sat down with Dart for a pre-draft film session. Gruden’s admiration for the Giants’ soon-to-be rookie starting quarterback was obvious.
And now, the Giants desperately need someone who can develop Dart in 2026 and beyond. Plus, they haven’t hired a head coach with a legit track record in that role since Tom Coughlin in 2004. Among Coughlin’s successors, Ben McAdoo, Joe Judge and Daboll were rookie head coaches, while Pat Shurmur had struggled in that job with the Browns.
After firing Daboll, the Giants elevated offensive coordinator Mike Kafka — who has never been a head coach — to the interim position.
“I think they’ll give Kafka every opportunity to see what he can do, see how the players play for him,” Jay said. “If it were me, I think they would go after more of an experienced guy who has been a leader, won some games. I don’t know who is available or who that would be.”
Then he laughed.
“I would err on the side of hiring a guy that’s been there and done that,” he continued. “They’ve just got to figure out the best fit for Jaxson and the Giants.”
Of course, Jon Gruden isn’t alone among prominent former NFL head coaches who could be candidates for this vacancy. Others include Bill Belichick, Mike McCarthy and Bill O’Brien. Might the Giants make a run at Lane Kiffin, Dart’s former coach at Ole Miss? What happens if Mike Tomlin or Matt LaFleur gets fired? There are some intriguing options.
“There are other older coaches I’m sure that would be pretty good,” Jay acknowledged, while pointing out how Jon has company in that group.
Then he paused and laughed again.
“Like me,” he said. “I’d be very good, too. S---, man, damn. I mean, I helped Andy Dalton make about $300 million and Kirk Cousins make $400 million. But, hey, nobody gives a damn.”
Jay impressed as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator from 2011-13 before going 35-49-1 with a one-and-done playoff trip as Washington’s head coach from 2014-19. He developed Cousins into a legit NFL starter in Washington, just as he did with Dalton in Cincinnati.
But Jay hasn’t coached since spending 2020 as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator. (Also, for what it’s worth, Dalton will have made $114 million after this season, Cousins $321 million.)
Does Jay, 58, want to coach again?
He laughed louder this time — and then didn’t exactly stump for himself.
“Nobody’s going to want me,” he said. “It’s no big deal.”
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