With Jon Gruden emerging as the new Vegas frontrunner to coach at Tennessee next season, one major player has entered the ring as the NFL level for Gruden's services.

Former analyst for the NFL Network analyst Mike Lombardi says league sources have told him the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would target Gruden if things continue to trend downward with current head coach Dirk Koetter.

Gruden won a Super Bowl with the Bucs and coached in Tampa from 2002-08.

Mike Lombardi on Koetter's hot seat: "Lot of people in the NFL are telling me that the name they're hearing is Gruden for that #Bucs job" — Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) October 31, 2017

Gruden admitted during this week's Monday Night Football broadcast that he "missed coaching" and was itching to get back at it.

His name has surfaced at Tennessee during every coaching conversation over the last decade, but there appears to be a real chance he looks at the Vols this time around.

Tennessee AD John Currie broke his silence on current coach Butch Jones this week and said one of the primary reasons he returned to Tennessee was to strengthen the Vols' reputation as a national power on the gridiron.