New Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said he was pursued by a Gruden a year ago — a different one.
Guenther, formerly the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati, is close friends with Jay Gruden, head coach in Washington and the brother of new Raiders head coach Jon.
Last offseason, Guenther said, Jay Gruden broached the possibility of hiring him. Guenther was still under contract with the Bengals, who would not let him leave.
Guenther’s contract in Cincinnati expired after this past season. And when Jon Gruden came calling, there was nothing to stop Guenther saying yes.
“I’ve known Jon a long time,” Guenther said on a conference call Wednesday. “Just the ability to come with him and start something fresh from the ground up really excited me.”
Guenther spent 13 seasons with the Bengals, including the last four as defensive coordinator. His unit ranked second in the league in points allowed in 2015 (17.4 per game), eighth in 2016 (19.7) and 16th (21.8) last season, and ranked in the top five in interceptions from 2014 through ’16.
In Cincinnati, Guenther ran a 4-3 scheme he’d helped develop with former Bengals defensive coordinator and now-Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer. Guenther said Wednesday that he isn’t necessarily wedded to the structure.
“Whether it’s a 4-3, a 3-4, it doesn’t matter,” Guenther said.. “We’ll be flexible that way with what we’ve got.”
•Guenther was asked about not blitzing often last season and countered: If you can create pressure with four pass rushers, why bring more?
“Really what I’d like to do is get Khalil Mack one-on-one,” Guenther said of the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year. “That’s more of a blitz to me than anything. Having a talent like that, and ability of a guy like that, certainly you want to make it the centerpiece of the defense.
“We’ve got to continue to develop our younger players, to bring those guys up to speed, to add people as we go through the draft and free agency. But he’s a guy that you can really build a foundation through and around.”
•Guenther described NaVorro Bowman, who joined the Raiders midway through last season, as a “prototype middle linebacker.” Bowman is also an unrestricted free agent. Guenther said he hopes the Raiders re-sign Bowman.
“The thing that impressed me the most with NaVorro is they got him here midseason and by the end of the year, he was … kind of the leader of the unit, really making a lot of the calls. You could see that on tape,” Guenther said.
“It looks like he’s a smart guy that understands the game, and I love smart guys that love playing football. Hopefully, we can get him back in the fold and keep him a Raider.”
Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.