Jon Gruden has a special place in the hearts of Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans. He was the first coach to lead the team to an NFL Championship. 2002 seemed so long ago. Now he is returning to the team, kind of, sort of.
Last week it was announced that Gruden will be joining the Buccaneers to provide play-by-play in an August pre-season game against the Chiefs, but is this opening the door for a larger role?
Breaking News: @IKaufman76 of @JoeBucsFan tells @realrockriley on WDAE that Jon Gruden will be doing play-by-play for an NFL preseason game in about a month. Who else is excited about Gruden back on the mic?#WeAreTheKrewe pic.twitter.com/DeiUCG6q7N
— 95.7 WDAE & AM620 (@957WDAE) July 14, 2026
Jon Gruden to return to the broadcast booth to call Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason game
The news of his return isn't entirely surprising. Over the last year, Gruden's name has started to circulate around the NFL again after his abrupt resignation from the Raiders five games into the 2021 season.
It's been five years since Gruden had any "official" business with the NFL, but it makes you wonder what his future might be.
The former Bucs' HC has been outspoken about wanting to return to the sidelines. Could he be in line for a return? If Gruden finds the right team that is willing to give him a shot, he might very well take it.
That brings the Buccaneers into a natural connection. Of course, they would have to fire Todd Bowles first. Bowles isn't necessarily on the hot seat, but the seat he is on might be getting warm. If Bowles is fired, Gruden will draw some debate.
"“I was a broadcaster for nine years; hell’s bells,” Gruden said. “I want to be play-by-play. You know, Frank Gifford, he transitioned into the play-by-play role. I would like to transition. I had nine years of watching these guys — [Mike] Tirico. And I’d like to give that a shot, man.”"Jon Gruden
It's a bigger picture for the former NFL coach, but if we are all honest with ourselves, he isn't in the Buccaneers' future picture.
That leaves broadcasting. There is little to no chance he returns to any of the high-profile night games on NBC and ESPN. It would be hard to see him providing play-by-play on CBS and FOX as well.
If Gruden's August debut as the main lead on the preseason broadcast is a good one, someone will be making a call to his agent. Gruden may not be in the good graces of the league's front office, but his dynamic personality and football knowledge are hard to ignore.
For some reason, Gruden's return to the booth isn't all that surprising. What is, however, is that he didn't get the radio broadcast job vacated by now-retired Gene Deckerhoff. That will now be handled by Tony Castricone.
It may feel like a final bow for Gruden, whose name is on the team's Ring of Honor, but something says we haven't heard the last of him and the Buccaneers.
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