Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has seen his share of quarterbacks over his nearly four decades in coaching, so when he stated one current NFL quarterback reminds him of San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana, it turned more than a few heads.
Despite his 117 career wins, .511 career win percentage, and Super Bowl championship, Gruden had been out of football since 2021 when he was promptly fired by the Raiders coach after it was revealed he used racist and homophobic language in emails while he was still coaching in the NFL.
The 61-year-old has been adamant about his desire to get back into coaching, and his name has been floated for a few college jobs over the last 12 months — a proposition he said he was open to last September.
“Yeah, I’m interested in coaching,” Gruden told CBS Sports. “My dad was a college coach, I was a college coach at Pitt…I know I can help a team, I know I can help young players get better, and I know I can hire a good staff, and that’s the only thing I can guarantee. But yeah, I’m very interested in coaching at any level, period.”
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No NFL team had seemed willing to bring Gruden on until the New Orleans Saints hired him as a consultant in 2023, but that position hasn’t opened the door to any other NFL opportunities.
However, Gruden has popped up here and there at a few training camps as guest of the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions.
Gruden was at Lions practice on Monday, which is when he had the revelation that there were quite a few similarities between Montana and Jared Goff.
“I hate to throw comparisons out but the number, the continuous movement that he plays with, he always reminded me of [Joe] Montana,” Gruden stated, via Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News.
“From the days I was with the 49ers—my dad coached at Notre Dame with Joe—but there’s a similar personality, a similar playing style. He is one tough cat in the pocket.”
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Gruden’s remarks may miss the mark for some.
Goff’s resume, which includes four Pro Bowls, five 4,000-yard seasons, and three seasons with 30 or more touchdowns, doesn’t compare to Montana’s.
The 49ers icon was an eight-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, four-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL MVP, and Offensive Player of the Year.
While Goff may not be as accomplished as Montana, he is currently the seventh-highest paid QB in the NFL ($53 million per year), and he has the second-most passing yards (16,887), fourth–most touchdowns (115), fourth-highest passer rating (100.2), and fourth-best completion percentage (67.9) since he became the Lions’ starter in 2021.