National Football League

What did Gruden reportedly tell Raiders about Manziel on draft night?

Published Oct. 27, 2014 1:42 p.m. ET

Connor Kiesel

On draft night, analyst Jon Gruden was at a desk as part of television coverage of the event. He also was apparently "imploring" his former employer, the Oakland Raiders, trying to persuade them to draft a certain big-name quarterback with whom he may or may not be slightly infatuated.

If you couldn't guess it, that guy is former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, whom Gruden continually harped on as he fell down the board through the draft's first round, which Awful Announcing chronicled.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that Gruden wasn't just talking about Manziel on the air, though.

According to three sources, Jon Gruden spent round 1 of the draft imploring the #Raiders: Draft Johnny Manziel. Just imagine #whatif
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 26, 2014

Oakland's coaching job is of course open, and Gruden's name has been bandied about as a potential candidate.

Jon Gruden told one close friend: “If there is one job I’d come back to the @NFL for, it’s the #Raiders.” But will he leave his current job?
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 26, 2014

It's a pretty cushy one, calling "Monday Night Football" while saying "this guy" a lot.

Gruden is a guy who was able to bring the Raiders to respectability, getting them one game away from the Super Bowl in 2000. Two years later, Gruden beat his old team in the Super Bowl as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For now, Gruden remains in the booth -- and Manziel on the sideline for the Browns.