Following the 2021 season, the Denver Broncos had three finalists for their head coach opening after they fired Vic Fangio, narrowing their search down to Nathaniel Hackett, Dan Quinn and Kevin O’Connell.
In hindsight, it appears that Denver picked the worst coach among the three finalists. Also of note, the Broncos didn’t even interview Mike McDaniel.
Right now, it feels inevitable that Hackett will be fired at the end of the season, so who are the top candidates to take over in 2023?
The most obvious in-house candidate would be defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who has led one of the best defensive units in the NFL this year.
Peyton Manning has indicated that he doesn’t want to coach at the NFL level, but Denver still might give him a call, perhaps as a consultant if nothing else.
Two big names are Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh (who is apparently being monitored by NFL teams) and ex-Saints coach Sean Payton. There is a catch with Payton — he’s still under contract with New Orleans through 2024, so it would take trading a draft pick to acquire him.
Evero, Manning, Harbaugh and Payton all made our list, but they’re probably unlikely candidates.
The list does not include several candidates who interviewed for Denver’s opening earlier this year, including Lions DC Aaron Glenn, Bears OC Luke Getsy, Patriots LBs coach Jerod Mayo, Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon and Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, but they could be names to watch as well.
Let’s get the list!