Jon Gruden didn’t specify when, but he said in a podcast Friday that he came close to taking the head coaching job at Tennessee several years ago.

The longtime NFL head coach recently stepped back into the media space, accepting a position with Barstool Sports. On Friday, he made his debut appearance on the outlet’s flagship podcast, Excuse me. During that show, Gruden revealed that he once considered taking the Tennessee job but at the time didn’t want to give up his role at Monday Night Football.

“My wife cheered for Tennessee. I love Tennessee. I was a trained coach there, and I talked to the athletic director, ‘The God said. “And I don’t look up to anybody more than I look up to Peyton Manning and Kenny Chesney. Those are two of my favorite guys in Tennessee. And I was very interested in doing that. At the time, I was having so much fun on Monday Night Football with Mike Tirico that I couldn’t take another job.”

Gruden worked for ESPN from 2009-17. He and Tirico worked together on Monday Night Football from 2009-15. Gruden would have been in his first year with the network when Tennessee hired Derek Dooley. In 2012, Dooley was fired and eventually replaced with Butch Jones.

“Being part of the thought process is always exciting,” Gruden said. “Tennessee was one that’s very close to my heart. I almost considered pulling the trigger there.”

Gruden eventually returned to the NFL in 2018, accepting a job with the Oakland Raiders. He resigned from the position amid controversy in 2021. Over the course of his career, he went 117-112 and led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in 2002.