After spending eight years away from the live NFL game broadcasting world, Jon Gruden finally found himself back where many fans first came to know him, not on the sidelines, but behind the microphone. And his candid reaction afterward said it all.

“I was fired up,” Gruden told reporters. “I had a lot of fun doing it for nine years. I was very fortunate on Monday Night Football, especially the years with [Mike] Tirico. We had a lot of fun and we took it every, we took every game like it was a Super Bowl. We took it very seriously, and had a lot of fun. So I enjoyed the profession. And at this point in my life, I still study football all the time. I’m still a big fan of the Bucs. I live right down the street, so I’m really excited about it.”

Jon Gruden’s broadcasting career began in May 2009 when ESPN hired him to serve as the lead color commentator for its flagship program, Monday Night Football (MNF). When Gruden first joined, he worked alongside Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski. However, in 2012, ESPN decided to try out the two-man pairing of Tirico and Gruden in the booth.

After four years together, Tirico left for NBC in 2016. Gruden then called MNF games alongside Sean McDonough. His final live game broadcast was on January 6, 2018, when he called an AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs for ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

After a long wait, Gruden is finally going to make a return to broadcasting on August 22, 2026. He will serve as the play-by-play announcer, alongside Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ronde Barber, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ second preseason home game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which will be aired locally on WFLA-TV (Tampa’s NBC affiliate) and its local network affiliates.

Jon Gruden comes in with a wealth of experience in the NFL circuit. He has been part of the NFL for over 20 years as an official coach or consultant, spending a lot of those years as a head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. Gruden even led the Buccaneers to Super Bowl XXXVII triumph in the 2002 season.

So, there may lie excitement among many to hear Jon Gruden call plays again. However, the return to the broadcasting booth on August 22 is just a one-off assignment, rather than a permanent comeback.