Raiders’ Jon Gruden calls Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes ‘the real deal’

The NFL Network visited the Raiders training camp on Monday, and head coach Jon Gruden sat down for a long interview.

One of the topics of discussion was the strength of the AFC West. Gruden, who was a “Monday Night Football” analyst for the previous nine years, expects a close race.

“Well, this is a dangerous division,” Gruden said. “I know the Chiefs very well from covering them and being good friends with Andy Reid. They’re the defending champs and rightfully so, and (Patrick) Mahomes is the real deal, you’ll see. This guy is a talented, gun-slinging quarterback.”

Gruden also had good things to say about the Chargers and the Broncos.

“I think the Chargers have as good a pass rush as there is in the league and perhaps one of the top two or three quarterbacks that you’ll see all season in Philip Rivers,” Gruden said.

“The Denver Broncos, I really believe, added one of the free-agent acquisitions of the year in Case Keenum. I don’t know why Minnesota let him out of there. I wish they would have kept him; I’m really upset with them, because he is a bulldog, he’s a really good quarterback. He brings Denver, I think, some stability at a critical position.”

Here is the interview, and Gruden talks about the Chiefs at about the four-minute mark:

This story was originally published July 31, 2018 at 9:50 AM.