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Report: Colts' Irsay pursued Jon Gruden to be head coach

LG Patterson / Major League Baseball / Getty

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay unsuccessfully pursued former Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden to take over as head coach for Chuck Pagano, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Gruden resisted Irsay's offer, electing to stay with ESPN as a broadcaster.

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders head coach has been with ESPN since 2009 and denied having any interest in joining the Colts.

"I know nothing. I've told people, I'm not coaching. I'm a broadcaster, I'm not a coach," Gruden said, according to Schefter.

Rumors surfaced last week that Irsay had spent time with Gruden, attempting to lure him to the Colts with a chance to coach supremely talented quarterback Andrew Luck and have roster control.

Irsay and the Colts retained current head coach Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson with five-year extensions after the 2015 season. The team has been suspiciously quiet about the pair's job security after another playoff miss in 2016 and reports that Irsay was "very unhappy" with his team's performance.

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