Say what you want about Jon Gruden's return to the Raiders' sideline -- lord knows there's plenty to say after he traded Khalil Mack and lost four of his first five games -- but he's at least providing plenty of entertainment. With ESPN, Gruden always was one of the most entertaining analysts on TV, whether he was making smoothies or going on about Spider 2 Y Banana. With the Raiders, Gruden can't help but entertain.
Seemingly every week, Gruden says something completely tone-deaf about the Raiders' lack of a pass rush as Mack continues to put up MVP-esque numbers in Chicago. Now, on Tuesday, Gruden might've hinted that the Raiders are going to pursue a different high-priced defensive player in the offseason. During his conference call with reporters who cover the Seahawks, Gruden said that the Raiders will "try to get more" former Seahawks because they "wish" they had more of them.
Related: Earl Thomas is set to become a free agent after the season.
Jon Gruden raving about Marshawn Lynch and Bruce Irvin on conference call with Seattle media: "Wish we had more ex-Seahawks on our team. We'll try to get more of them.''
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) October 9, 2018
Thomas, who is out for the season with a fractured leg, won't cost nearly as much as Mack, but let's all just recognize that the Raiders refused to pay a 27-year-old generational pass rusher but could now turn around and pay a safety who'll turn 30 in May. That being said, Thomas really would help a Raiders defense in desperate need of support.
After five weeks, the Raiders are allowing the third-most yards (404.4 per game) and the third-most points (29.8 per game). Thomas might be the game's best free safety, and he's not really slowing down. Before going down with that season-ending injury, he'd already racked up three interceptions. Since entering the league in 2010, Thomas has picked off 28 passes -- the third-most among all players.
It's also worth noting that Gruden recently indicated that he'd like to find an upgrade at safety.
Jon Gruden said he wanted to take Derwin James in the first round, but unfortunately they took a safety in the first round in 2016 (Karl Joseph) and one in the second round (Obi Melifonwu) in 2017. The Raiders selected LT Kolton Miller two picks before James in this year’s draft.
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) October 3, 2018
If the Raiders actually are interested in Thomas, they'll likely face competition. Thomas, himself, has made it known that he'd like to wind up in Dallas once his time in Seattle comes to an end and the Cowboys already tried to trade for him. Meanwhile, the Chiefs were reportedly close to trading for Thomas before he went down with his season-ending injury. The Seahawks could also try to bring him back, but after refusing to give him a long-term deal all summer long, that seems unlikely.
Maybe Gruden is just trolling Seattle ahead of their game in London on Sunday. Maybe Gruden was really talking about another impending free agent like K.J. Wright or Brandon Marshall (Gruden does love aging receivers). Maybe Gruden was just talking and didn't mean anything of it.
For as good of a player as Thomas is, the Raiders shouldn't exactly be in win-now mode. By the time they move to Las Vegas, Thomas will be on the wrong side of 30. But Gruden's comment is worth monitoring as he tries to rebuild what looks like a bad football team.
