Brett Favre suggests Jon Gruden for Arkansas coaching job

The Arkansas football job opened yesterday following Sam Pittman’s firing. A long list of names have been thrown out there regarding his replacement — including former NFL head coach Jon Gruden.

Gruden even has Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre’s vote of approval. The Pro Football Hall of Fame QB voiced his opinion on the Razorbacks coaching search on social media Monday.

“I’ve always said Jon Gruden is one of the sharpest minds in football,” Favre wrote in a post on X. “His energy, passion, and love for the game are a perfect fit for the SEC… Wouldn’t be surprised to see him land somewhere like Arkansas. I could see Gruden being a spark for that program.”

Favre is speaking from experience. Gruden coached Favre with Green Bay in 1992, which is the same season that he took over as the Packers starting quarterback. Favre, of course, spent the next two decades becoming an all-time great NFL quarterback with the franchise.

Gruden was an offensive analyst at the time, and was promoted to wide receivers coach the following season, which Gruden held until 1995 when he became the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. That was his final stop before becoming head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Still, Gruden hasn’t coached in college since 1991 when he was the wide receivers coach for Pitt. However, he also has experience as a graduate assistant at Tennessee (1986-87), passing game coordinator at Southeast Missouri State (1988) and tight ends coach at Pacific (1989). Though, nothing modern.

The last time Gruden was on a coaching staff was in 2023 when he became a consultant with the New Orleans Saints. He’s since transitioned into media and is employed by Barstool Sports. However, Gruden was a head coach in the NFL with the Raiders (his second stint) from 2018-2021.

Whether Gruden is the right man for the job remains to be seen. On one hand, Gruden is a Super Bowl-winning head coach. On the other, fans of college football have seen first-hand how the transition has worked for someone like Bill Belichick at North Carolina, who has six as the head coach of the New England Patriots.

It’s still early on in the search. So for now, Bobby Petrino has stepped in as the interim head coach at Arkansas. He’ll be calling the shots for the Razorbacks when they take the field after their bye week against Tennessee on Oct. 11.