The Denver Broncos have found their new coach. Sources indicate that the Broncos will be bringing in former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to become the team’s 4th head coach since 2016.
Denver is coming off its 5th consecutive losing season, and are clearly banking on Hackett to turn around their offense which ranked 20th in passing yards and 13th in rushing yards in 2021. With the Broncos playing in the same division as Mahomes and Herbert, the front office had to prioritize getting their offense in order if they want to compete in the AFC West.
This will be Hackett’s first time as head coach at the NFL level. The 42 year old replaces Vic Fangio, who went 19-30 during his time along the sidelines in the Mile High city. Denver currently boasts a top 10 defense in most statistical categories, nearly $50M in projected cap space, and 11 picks in the upcoming NFL draft.
Hackett becomes the first domino to fall in an offseason currently featuring 9 head coaching vacancies across the league. During his time in the league, the Fullerton, CA native has had stops in Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Green Bay. Evidently the Jaguars were preparing to bring their former OC in for an interview for their vacant head coaching position when the Broncos stepped in and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
While in Green Bay, the Packers offense had the second most offensive TDs (160) and fewest giveaways (37) since Hackett took over the offensive coordinator role. Who Hackett will tap to fill OC and DC roles alongside him in Denver has yet to be confirmed. However, rumours are currently swirling that Rams passing game coordinator Ejiro Evero could be brought in for an interview.
Yet those are far from the only rumours to gain momentum in the hours since Hackett’s hire was announced. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was already linked to Denver this offseason owing to his fiancee, actress Shailene Woodley, living part time in Boulder, CO. Now with his former coordinator taking over the head coach position, the “Rodgers to the Broncos” hype train is rapidly gaining steam.
The Broncos have cycled through a number of quarterbacks over the last few seasons, and 2021 starter Teddy Bridgewater was only on a 1 year deal. Meanwhile in Green Bay, the Packers are projected to be $45M over the cap for next season, and Rodgers has publicly stated he isn’t interested in returning to live through a rebuild.
Couple that with the star QB’s strained relationship with management at Lambeau, and it’s not inconceivable that Rodgers could leave the only NFL team he’s ever played for this summer. Vegas odds makers appear to agree, as lines at several sportsbooks which initially had the Broncos as 35:1 or 40:1 longshots to win the Super Bowl next year, have already adjusted the lines to 20:1 or 18:1 depending on where you look this afternoon.
With a roster that includes several explosive playmakers on offense including RB Javonte Williams, TE Noah Fant, and WRs Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton, the Broncos appear to be a QB away from becoming a contender.
With their head coach now in place, this is shaping up to be a very interesting offseason for the franchise.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner