Jon Gruden signs contract extension with ESPN, will not be head coaching candidate

We can officially cross Jon Gruden off the list as a potential head coach candidate this year. Whether it was going to be with the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, or wherever, Gruden will not be leaving ESPN. During Monday Night Football, play-by-play man Mike Tirico announced that Gruden had signed a contract extension with ESPN that keeps him in the booth through 2021. That is when the ESPN/MNF contract ends.

This does not guarantee he won't look at coaching jobs in the future, but this would seem to indicate there will be no Gruden-49ers rumors moving forward. If you were hoping it would happen, I'm sorry to disappoint you. If you did not want to see him become the 49ers next head coach if Jim Harbaugh leaves, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

The San Francisco 49ers head coaching situation remains a question mark as the team plays their final two games of the season. There is widespread speculation that Jim Harbaugh will not return in 2015, but until anything happens, he remains the 49ers head coach. I don't see him getting fired between now and the end of the regular season, but once January gets here, the rumor mill will take off. It's been crazy thus far, and it is only going to get crazier until there is resolution of the madness.