Jon Gruden on returning to coaching: “Never say never to nothing.”

ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden appeared on Mike and Mike this morning and was asked the inevitable. Mike Golic brought up the potential of him returning to coach and mentioned the Tennessee job specifically.

Gruden said that he hadn’t talked to anybody, but added that you should “never say never to nothing.”

Here’s the full segment.

Gruden has been in the news since the University fired Butch Jones on Sunday. John Brice reported on Monday that Gruden had contacted other coaches about joining him at Tennessee. On Tuesday, Football Scoop reported that Gruden isn’t interested in Tennessee.

Are you exhausted yet?

Gruden had a chance to squash it all today — specifically with Tennessee — but he didn’t. That doesn’t mean he’s interested. It probably means that he’s liking the attention. We’ve heard that he wants back in the NFL and the Tennessee speculation is keeping him in the spotlight.

If you listen to the people that cover the program daily, there’s at least some mutual interest there. If you listen to the national media, this is fantasy land.

Hopefully we all get a definitive answer soon.