Saints bring in Jon Gruden to help with offensive install, per source: Will he

The New Orleans Saints brought in Jon Gruden to assist in the installation of their offense which is being adjusted to fit new quarterback Derek Carr, a source involved in the process confirmed to The Athletic. The news was first reported by the Times-Picayune. Here’s what you need to know:

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Why the Saints brought in Gruden

Once a neighbor, always a neighbor. Gruden visited the Saints this week to help the team shape its offense around Carr, Gruden’s former quarterback and neighbor in Las Vegas.

It makes a lot of sense since Carr improved in his three years with Gruden, taking more shots downfield and extending plays with his legs. The Saints use a variation of a West Coast offense and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is tight with former Saints and current Broncos coach Sean Payton, who once coached under Gruden when Gruden was a coordinator with the Eagles 25 years ago. — Tafur

Will Gruden coach again?

Gruden, according to people close to him, still holds out hope of coaching again after he was forced to resign from his Raiders job due to offensive emails that surfaced. He is suing the NFL, as his was the only personal email that was leaked from 650,000 gathered in an investigation into claims of workplace harassment with the Washington Commanders.

A district court denied the league’s motion to compel arbitration last October, but the league filed new documents in March to appeal that decision, as it doesn’t want to release the emails. It’s not known if Gruden would ultimately accept a settlement or want his day in court. — Tafur

Backstory

Gruden resigned after emails — which were sent over a seven-year period to then-Washington team president Bruce Allen — were uncovered during the NFL’s investigation into workplace misconduct surrounding the Washington Commanders. Gruden worked with Allen in Oakland in his first stint with the Raiders and later with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Gruden was in the fourth year of a 10-year, $100 million contract signed in January 2018, his second stint with the Raiders after coaching them from 1998 to 2001. He coached the Buccaneers from 2002 to 2008, then was hired by ESPN in May 2009. He worked on “Monday Night Football” through the 2017 season.

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(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)