Report: Jon Gruden Spoke To LA Rams In Advisory Capacity

In a piece from Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson last night, we learn that former NFL Head Coach Jon Gruden has been advising the Los Angeles Rams in their search for a new head coach:

One source said Gruden spoke with the Rams, but that the former NFL coach was acting in an advisory capacity, offering an “organizational assessment.”

In and of itself, it’s notable. It’s moreso because Jon Gruden’s brother, Jay, is the head coach of the Washington NFL Football Team and we’ve recently learned that his offensive coordinator, Sean McVay, is the first candidate for the Rams’ HC gig to take on a second interview.

Robinson’s piece does note that McVay would be the youngest head coach in NFL history citing an anonymous NFL executive who does express a bit of concern at that fact:

A handful of executives who spoke to Yahoo Sports on Monday night said McVay has a reputation of being one of the bright young minds in the coaching community – but some also added that they believe he was a year or two away from being a serious head coaching candidate.

The reticence appeared to be rooted in three areas. One was McVay’s age (he’ll turn 31 on Jan. 24). Another is his relatively short track record as an NFL coach (he became a full-fledged NFL assistant in 2010 and the Redskins’ coordinator in 2014). And arguably the most pressing: Whether McVay was ready to lead an entire franchise while also building an experienced coaching staff to support him in the effort.

“That’s a big bite at [30 years old],” one executive said. “Recent coaches who have been that young, they clearly weren’t ready for it – situations that seemed to come down to experience issues and maturity issues [with the coaches]. I don’t know [McVay] well enough to say whether that would be a concern. It’s just a lot for anyone, even the most experienced coaches.

Stay tuned.