NFL fans project Jon Gruden’s return to league after former Raiders HC visits Saints to help Derek Carr - “He’s going to be back”

Jon Gruden's visit to help new New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr certainly has left a strong impression on a lot of NFL fans. The quarterback is seeking a new beginning after leaving behind the Las Vegas Raiders. The head coach, meanwhile, is a toxic substance in the NFL right now.

But fans believe that could change and this might be the first step in his return to the league. The Saints wanted his input on how to manage the transition to their new quarterback and were willing to grant him an audience. That suggests a softening of stance towards the former Super Bowl-winning coach.

NFL fans were quick to notice the change and had a variety of reactions online. Here are some of the reactions on Reddit.

Comment by u/emmasdad01 from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/JalensTinyPPHurts from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/iamStanhousen from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/TheWyldMan from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/Emleaux from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/scottn168 from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/Ok_Poet_1848 from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/planetkevorkian from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/AnotherStatsGuy from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Comment by u/nineteennaughty3 from discussion [Duncan] The Saints brought Jon Gruden to town this week to, among other things, pick his brain about their offensive transition to Derek Carr. in nfl

Will Jon Gruden be back to advise Derek Carr in the future?

Derek Carr's relationship with Jon Gruden remains better than most. They worked well in tandem together during their time together with the Raiders.

However, if we look at when Derek Carr performed the best, it has to be in the period between 2015 to 2017, when he made it to three straight Pro Bowls. That was the time when Jack Del Rio was the head coach of the team.

But from an offensive standpoint, Bill Musgrave was the offensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, Todd Downing was the offensive coordinator. Given that under Downing they finished 6-10, which spelled the end of Del Rio's tenure, whereas they made it to the playoffs the year prior, the best person to speak to might be Bill Musgrave.

Given that he is just an assistant with the Cleveland Browns at the moment, the Saints would have been better served in reuniting him with Derek Carr in some capacity than asking Jon Gruden for his opinion.

With the New Orleans Saints, the player will now get to play with Pete Carmichael Jr., who has been with the franchise since 2009. He was instrumental in developing and working closely with Drew Brees and he will be hoping to unleash the potential that they see in Derek Carr.

Much will also depend on quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry. If he is not able to help their new quarterback reach his full potential, the clamor to replace him with someone like Jon Gruden will reach a crescendo. But, as noted above, if such an opportunity arises, the first person the Saints should target is Bill Musgrave in that situation.