Tough start for Jon Gruden.
After almost a decade in the broadcast booth, Gruden returned to the sidelines this season with one of his old teams, the Raiders. So eager was Oakland to reunite with Gruden that it signed him to a 10-year, $100 million contract. With nine years and 15 games to go, the deal is not looking brilliant so far. In Gruden’s first game back, his Raiders were soundly outplayed and out-coached by the Rams in a 33-13 loss.
The bad news for Gruden actually began a day before the game. In the first high-profile trade of the Gruden era, the Raiders sent one of the game’s top defensive players, Khalil Mack, who was involved in a contract dispute, to the Bears last week for draft picks, including two first-rounders.