When news broke on Saturday that the Raiders were in hot pursuit of Jon Gruden, several outlets made contact with the former head coach for comment.
But at no point did Gruden confirm to any of them that he was a candidate for the job, At the time, Jack Del Rio was still the Raiders head coach.
But now that Del Rio has been fired, Gruden spoke with the Bay Area News Group's Jerry McDonald on Tuesday and acknowledged that he's being considered for the vacancy.
"Well, I think I am being considered, yes. I hope I'm a candidate," Gruden told McDonald in a phone interview.
Gruden outlined the Raiders' timetable and when he expects the team to make an announcement.
"My understanding is they're interviewing candidates this week and they're going to let everybody know sometime early next week or whenever they make their decision," Gruden said.
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In order to comply with the NFL's Rooney Rule, the Raiders must interview at least one minority candidate. And while Gruden is the guy owner Mark Davis wants, they will likely interview a few more candidates just to be safe.
An ESPN TV analyst for the last nine years, Gruden hasn't coached in the NFL since 2008. He served as the Raiders head coach from 1998 to 2001.
