Jay Gruden has been handed an opportunity to coach in the NFL again after taking over as the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive coordinator.

Gruden was fired as head coach by the Washington Redskins in October following five straight defeats.

The Redskins have since appointed former Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera as a replacement for Gruden, who in December said he was "itching" to get back into a coaching role.

Gruden told the Rap Sheet podcast: "I'm itching to do something. You definitely miss the camaraderie of the players, the coaches. You've just got to get used to it and wait for your next opportunity.

"We'll see what happens. There's going to be some changes made. Hopefully I'll be in a position to talk to some owners and get another opportunity as head coach."

Gruden has now been given his chance, though it is not as a head coach. Instead, he has been appointed as the new OC for the Jaguars, who finished bottom of the AFC South with a 6-10 record.

"We went through a process and brought in people who have a ton of experience," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said. "All of the candidates are proven that they have done it at this level and done it at a high level.

"We were trying to find someone who's best for this staff, who's best for what you want to run, then you're looking for what person's best for your players – who's going to relate to the players, who's going to be able to communicate with them.

"At the end of the day, we just felt that Jay was the best fit for us."

Gruden spent five years as Redskins head coach, finishing with a 35-49-1 record overall and guiding them to the 2015 NFC East title.

The 52-year-old has experience working as an offensive coordinator, having fulfilled the role for the Cincinnati Bengals between 2011 and 2013.

He had also been linked with a possible switch to the Oakland Raiders, who are coached by his older brother Jon.