Following a nearly decade absence from coaching in the NFL, Jon Gruden is back for his second stint as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

There had been continuous talk surrounding Gruden over the last few years about his interest in jumping back into the league. According to S.L. Price of Sports Illustrated, the desire to get back to coaching for Gruden had eventually hit a boiling point pushing him to take up the offer with the Raiders.

“I got tired of sitting in a dark room, watching tape by myself,” Gruden says. “I took rumba-dancing classes; that didn’t last—I wasn’t any good. Bought a boat; I never used it. Live on a golf course; I never play. I’d go to the FFCA early, and next thing I know it’s 10:30 at night. I’m thinking, S—. I’m wasting my time. I got to go compete.”

Despite being out of the league as a coach, he had remained close to the game as a broadcaster for ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football. This put him in daily contact with many of his former colleagues and various teams each week as he prepared to commentate the games.

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This along with his involved Fired Football Coaches Association was another avenue for him staying involved with the NFL to a greater degree. It may have been a manner of time before he got back into the league, which Oakland presented the ideal landing spot due to his familiarity with the organization having coached there before.

Gruden has a chance to help lift the Raiders back into the playoffs in 2018 after the team took a significant step back last season. The offseason should provide him with the opportunity to shape the roster in the manner that he deems will help the franchise turn it around next year. In his last tenure in Oakland, he spent four seasons where he held a 38-26 record that includes a pair of playoff appearances, two AFC West division titles, and a trip to the AFC Championship game.