Jon Gruden Jokes He’s ‘Studying NASCAR Now’ as He Can’t Land a Coaching Job

Jon Gruden is desperate to get a headset back on, even willing to switch sports to do so. 

The Super Bowl-winning head coach teased a possible move to NASCAR when he spoke with FOX Sports’ Michael Waltrip ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500. 

“It’s unbelievable. You guys start the season with the Super Bowl. This is the greatest event ever. I can’t get a job coaching, so I’m studying NASCAR now,” Gruden said. 

While Gruden exclaimed that he’s studying NASCAR, he still relied on his football knowledge when Waltrip asked him what advice to give Bubba Wallace ahead of The Great American Race.

“Go trips right, make a left and then if you can’t find it, call an audible,” Gruden said.

Jon Gruden on the Daytona 500: ‘You guys start the season with the SUPER BOWL’

Close enough, Gruden. Maybe he can now run his own driver’s camp for up-and-coming NASCAR drivers, just as he did for quarterback prospects ahead of the NFL Draft? Or could Gruden help run a team to success, just like he did when he was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002? 

The possibilities of what Gruden could do in NASCAR are certainly limitless. But the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach certainly seemed to be enjoying himself in Daytona on Sunday, attending a driver’s meeting alongside former NFL great Marshawn Lynch and getting some swag from Austin Dillon. 

Gruden has had trouble landing a coaching job in football after he resigned as head coach of the Raiders amid an email scandal in October 2021. He hasn’t interviewed with an NFL team since then and has expressed an interest in coaching the college game, but to no avail. However, he’s had some minor coaching roles, serving in a non-full-time advisor role for the New Orleans Saints in 2023 before working as a head coach in the Hula Bowl in January. 

Gruden has also worked with Barstool Sports since 2024, making frequent appearances on FS1’s “Wake Up Barstool.”