Having fired Nathaniel Hackett before the rookie head coach could finish his first year at the helm, the Broncos are finishing out their deeply disappointing 2022 campaign with Jerry Rosburg as interim HC. Unsurprisingly, it does not appear that Rosburg — who was pulled out of retirement earlier this year to assist Hackett with gameday management — is a candidate for the permanent head coaching gig.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes that the Broncos’ new Penner-Walton ownership group, which paid $4.65 billion to purchase the club last offseason, is prepared to do, “whatever it takes,” to land the head coach it wants and plans to be, “ultra aggressive,” in its pursuit. Of course, that presumably means that the cash-flush group will pony up a significant salary to entice a top-flight candidate, and in light of recent reports that Denver’s next head coach will report directly to ownership rather than GM George Paton, it appears the new sideline general could have considerable personnel power as well.
Schefter does not specify what candidates the club is targeting. Former Saints HC Sean Payton may be the most sought-after HC on the market, and if the Broncos are truly prepared to be “ultra aggressive,” they will not be deterred by the fact that they will need to complete a trade with New Orleans to acquire Payton’s rights and then give Payton a market-topping contract. However, Payton is reportedly uninterested in the Denver job.
Indeed, the team’s quarterback situation could deter other top candidates from considering the Broncos’ post. 2022 trade acquisition Russell Wilson, who was supposed to lead the team on a championship run, is one of this year’s worst quarterbacks, and Denver cannot escape his contract anytime soon. We previously heard that, in addition to Payton, names like Frank Reich, Jim Harbaugh, and Dan Quinn could also be on Denver’s shortlist, but an in-demand coach may not want to hitch his wagon to the Broncos right now (depending, perhaps, on just how generous ownership is willing to be in contract talks).
Speaking of Wilson, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the 34-year-old passer is prepared to overhaul his entire offseason and in-season routine in an effort to get back to his previous level of performance. The faith that the Broncos’ potential interviewees have in Wilson’s ability to do that will likely dictate the success of the team’s upcoming HC search.
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