Jon Gruden returns to NFL broadcasting for Bucs-Chiefs preseason game

Jon Gruden hasn't called an NFL game since he walked away from Monday Night Football after the 2017 season to take the Raiders job. That's about to change. Gruden is set to handle play-by-play duties for the Buccaneers' preseason matchup with the Chiefs, working alongside Hall of Fame cornerback and former Bucs teammate Ronde Barber, according to multiple reports. It's a scheduling fill-in for Tampa Bay's usual preseason voice, Chris Myers, but for a coach who's been mostly out of the football spotlight since his 2021 exit from Las Vegas, it's a real return to the game.

The timing lines up with Gruden popping up all over the Barstool ecosystem this week. He was the guest on Wednesday's Pardon My Take, and the crew documented pretty much everything around the taping — including the fact that Dave Portnoy is apparently rooming with him during this stretch.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

What’s it like rooming with @BarstoolGruden ? Walked by his room at 6am this morning

Whatever gag is buried in the roommate bit, the actual news is the broadcast gig, and Pardon My Take made sure to put it in writing themselves.

Pardon My Take

@PardonMyTake

Jon Gruden is getting back into the play by play game

Gruden's told local Tampa media he's "fired up" for the opportunity, but he's also been clear about who's actually running the show — by his own account, it's Barber's booth and he's along for the ride. That's a different Gruden than the one who spent 9 seasons as the highest-paid, most opinionated voice on Monday nights. Getting back in the chair, even for one preseason game, is the first real step toward finding out if there's still an appetite for him on national television.

On the podcast itself, Gruden was in full football-coach mode, weighing in on everything from Jets optimism to how the show's dynamic actually works.

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

“Is there any hope for the Jets?” -Big Cat “Yes there is” -Jon Gruden

None of this makes Gruden an NFL head coach again, and it doesn't erase the mess that ended his Raiders tenure. But a Super Bowl-winning coach getting handed a live NFL microphone for the first time in almost a decade is worth watching regardless — especially with him spending the same week holed up with the Barstool crew, clearly in no rush to stay quiet about it.