Buccaneers Welcome Former Head Coach Back To Tampa, Sparking Ring of Honor Speculation

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have made the first steps to welcoming back a disgraced former head coach.

Jan 23, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; ESPN broadcaster and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders former coach Jon Gruden at Team Irvin practice at Scottsdale Community College in advance of the 2015 Pro Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers removed former head coach Jon Gruden from their Ring of Honor in 2021, but it seems that he may be getting back in the team's good graces.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to face off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and the Bucs had a familiar face as a guest of the Glazer family. Gruden, who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2002 season, was on the field pregame and talking with Bucs figures like John Lynch (now the GM of the San Francisco 49ers), former Bucs QB Brad Johnson and former Bucs CB Ronde Barber, among others.

49ers GM John Lynch meeting up with former #Bucs head coach John Gruden pic.twitter.com/Cv1LCSQ3uL
— Caleb Skinner (@chsnole) November 10, 2024

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden is a guest of the Glazer family and will be in their owner’s box today. It’s the first step in a reconciliation that will likely lead to the Super Bowl winning coach being reinstated in the club’s Ring of Honor.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) November 10, 2024

Gruden was removed from Tampa Bay's Ring of Honor in 2021 after emails sent between 2011 and 2018 to former Washington general manager Bruce Allen revealed homophobic and racially charged messages. One of those messages was a graphic insult pointed toward Buccaneers owner Bryan Glazer, which was the catalyst for his removal.

Now, though, as a guest of the Glazer family, it seems as if old wounds could be healing. If that's the case, Gruden's spot in the Ring of Honor could return at some point in the future.

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