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It looks like the Detroit Lions will interview Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden after all. Earlier in the week, they reportedly requested permission to interview Gruden, but there seemed to be confusion on Gruden's end over whether or not that interview would actually take place. Now, though, Gruden is reportedly set to meet with the Lions on Friday:
Jay Gruden's agent tells us @ABC7News that Jay will be in Detroit with #Lions on Friday. #redskinscoachingsearch
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) January 8, 2014
Assuming the Lions stick to their current schedule, Gruden will be the fifth candidate to interview for their vacant head coaching job. Jim Caldwell got an interview last week, and Gary Kubiak and Mike Munchak have both been in for interviews since Tuesday. On Thursday, the Lions are planning to head out to San Diego to speak with Ken Whisenhunt, and apparently they will return to Detroit on Friday to meet with Gruden.
It's worth noting that Gruden is the first candidate without NFL head coaching experience to get an interview with the Lions. He fits the offensive-minded profile the Lions appear to be interested in, but Gruden's only head coaching experience came in the Arena Football League.
It's also worth noting that Gruden will have interviewed with four different teams this week by the time he's done speaking with the Lions. He met with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday and the Washington Redskins on Wednesday, and he's scheduled to speak with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday.
