The recent report by the Chattanooga Times that says Gruden has been offered an increased contract offer if true still has one problem in the contract.... it's from UT. Look, I would love for him to come as much as most people would. But I recognize a flirt when I see one. Gruden is using UT to posture for an NFL contract or a larger contract with ESPN. Having a contract in hand without a timeline gives him the ammunition he needs to start the Gruden for hire auction. He is the only one who knows where he is hoping to get an offer from, but I seriously doubt that UT is in his top 20 of dream jobs. Gruden is a pro coach and a pro analyst. That's what he is and that is where he feels comfortable. "Comfortable" being the key word. His ties, his success, his knowledge, his experience are all based on the pro level, not college.
So with that said, here is what I think is happening and will happen in the days ahead in numerical order.
- Gruden loves attention. UT gave him lots of it!
- Gruden loved the hype because it put pro owners and ESPN on notice.
- Gruden, wanting to be a highly sought after candidate, decides to take it a step further an entertain an offer from UT and get them to the point where the "show their hand".
- Gruden calling his potential assistants comes into play next because he is seriously considering a return to football. So this is a great opportunity for him to see who all would want to join him at his next job and discuss what they need $.
- From there, Gruden intensifies the "Gruden for Hire" sweepstakes by letting would be suitors think that he has a staff assembled and is seriously considering the offer from UT.
- From here, other pro teams will put their name in the hat out of desperation and contract offers will come in that are comparable or better than UT.
- Jon will then take the best offer on the table that like Manning, gives him the best chance to be successful. It won't be UT.
- After he has made his selection, he will publicly address the media and Tennessee and let them know how much he "strongly" considered coming here and how much this school means to him.
- Vol fans everywhere will get mad at Hart for not giving Gruden a firm deadline if it's true that he hasn't been given one. They will also be mad at Gruden for not coming out publicly and turning the offer down in a timely manner.
Ok, so that's how I think this whole thing will play out. Some might agree, some might not. Everyone on here has opinions and this is mine. At the very least, I'm hoping that the administration and the boosters are smart enough not to let Gruden dangle their offer around and treat them like a one night stand.