Recently, rumors have swirled that should the Steelers move on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada, head coach Mike Tomlin could contact an old friend. Gerry Dulac said in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who did not seem to be reporting but simply speculating, that Jon Gruden could become a candidate for the offensive coordinator job in Pittsburgh after the season’s end. Canada’s contract expires after the 2023 season.
Talking with Jason Whitlock, former Buccaneers player Warren Sapp, who played under Tomlin and Gruden during his days in Tampa Bay, shut down those rumors immediately. He sent out two texts to Gruden and Tomlin about the idea. The responses said the same thing — there is no way it is happening.
“Not even close,” Sapp said. “Come on, I can’t even say what Jon said. No. Mike T said, ‘I don’t even know who writes this stuff.’ There it is, boom. He’s going to watch his kid play at an Ivy League school, bright kid. Trust me, Mike T is an off week, and Jon and I are scheduling a golf outing this weekend. It’s creamsicle week in Tampa, so trust me, no, he’s not going.”
"I can't even tell you what Jon said…" Warren Sapp on rumors Jon Gruden could join Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/rTkA23GqHM
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) October 12, 2023
During a recent chat, Dulac was asked this question: “Who do you expect realistically the Steelers to target in the off-season for their inevitable vacant OC job?”
Dulac responded: “Way too early to speculate. But a good one would be a [Mike] Tomlin friend — Jon Gruden.”
Tomlin worked as the Buccaneers defensive backs coach for Gruden in Tampa Bay from 2002-2005. Gruden resigned as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach in October of 2021 following reports that emails he wrote over 10 years included racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language. Gruden has sued the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell, arguing that the emails were weaponized against him to harm his contractual and business interests. He last worked in the NFL as a consultant with the Saints this summer.
It’s too early to say who the offensive coordinator could be if Canada is let go after the season. The entire candidate pool is not even in front of the group yet. Tomlin certainly is not thinking about that, anyway. Gruden is a fantastic offensive mind, but the idea that he would be an offensive coordinator seems out of left field. Sapp seems to indicate that, too.