Some NFL rivalries are so intense that it seems strange to see the main players on either side of the rivalry functioning in any way that is even somewhat amicable or constructive.
Chiefs shockingly invite former Raiders coach Jon Gruden to training camp
Didn’t expect to see Jon Gruden repping Chiefs gear!
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid with former Raiders coach Jon Gruden
There are some rivalries in the NFL that run so deep that it feels odd to see the key figures on either side of the rivalry interacting in a manner that is even remotely positive or friendly. It doesn’t always work like this, in large part because fans oftentimes care far more about these things than the guys involved do. Even still, as a Chicago Bears fan, I don’t want to hear that any Monsters of the Midway are laughing it up and being buddy-buddy with any damn Cheeseheads. It’s wrong. And I’m sure that’s how many Kansas City Chiefs fans feel about anyone with ties to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Well, Chiefs fans, avert your eyes, because you’re about to see a video that might make your stomach turn… former Raiders coach Jon Gruden, on the practice field at Missouri Western State University, fully decked out in Kansas City Chiefs gear, sharing a fist bump with head coach Andy Reid.
Job Gruden with Andy Reid.. they shared a fist bump before this and Gruden was giving some words to Isiah Pacheco as well..
Now sure, this would be much harder to stomach if Jon Gruden rolled into Chiefs training camp donning his old Silver and Black threads. A fight might’ve broken out if that were the case. But either way, Gruden’s presence at Chiefs camp raises an important and rather straightforward question: why is he there in the first place? Well, the simplest answer probably goes something like this… before either had landed their first head coaching job, Andy Reid and Jon Gruden worked together on Mike Holmgren’s Green Bay Packers staff for three years from 1992 through 1994.
“We had a blast with that stuff,” Reid said back in 2018, speaking of his time coaching with Gruden in Green Bay (h/t Eddie Paskal of Raiders.com). “Who could find what or design what. We had a blast with that. He [Gruden] is a creative mind, so you got to stay on you’re A-game when you are hanging with him.”
Gruden offered just as much love back to Reid.
“Yeah, we have a lot of memories,” Gruden added. “He’s a great friend of mine. Passionate coach. He loves football. He might be one of the few guys I know that likes football more than me. That’s why I treasure him.”
So sure, given Andy Reid and Jon Gruden’s pre-existing relationship, maybe Chiefs fans will be willing to let this slide. The more pressing issue here may actually be Gruden’s contentious relationship with the NFL.
