Jon Gruden Denies 'Stupid' Jets Rumors

The New York Jets are looking to fill their offensive coordinator role.

Aug 29, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden walks onto the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The New York Jets have had a roller coaster of a week, to say the least.

It's early in the offseason. It's somewhat difficult to really have a roller coaster of a week publicly because the team isn't playing any longer. But it's been one of those weeks for the Jets. On Jan. 30, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston broke the news that the Jets were planning on firing Charles London, Eric Washington, Roosevelt Williams, Scott Turner, Aaron Curry and Alonso Escalante. That set off the long week.

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Initially, Tanner Engstrad was expected to stay, although with a slightly different role with the franchise. Then a few days later, he was gone. On the bright side, the Jets hired Brian Duker as the team's defensive coordinator. But the offensive coordinator job is still open, despite five interviews on Wednesday with Darrell Bevell, Ronald Curry, Frank Reich, Greg Roman and Lunda Wells. That's not all, though. There have rumors and reports flying all over the place. For example, The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported that the Jets reached out to former longtime head coach Jon Gruden, but were shut down.

The New York Jets have had a long week

Former NFL Coache Jon Gruden have a laugh while attending an NFL training camp session ten at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reports of interest — and getting denied — with Gruden made plenty of headlines. So much so that he joined 95.3 WDAE & AM620 and shut down the "stupid" rumors.

"There's a lot of reports we're not going to get into, as you know," Gruden said. "There's a lot of stupid rumors out there. Some of these reports are ridiculous. Let's just say there was never anything from the Jets and I wish them well in their search for a new offensive coordinator."

It's been one of those weeks for the Jets. Even though their season has been done for weeks, New York found a way into the linelight with these coordinator searches ongoing. The defensive coordinator job is all done with the offensive job left to go. But it sounds like that won't be Gruden's role in the near future.

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