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The 2022 Denver Broncos were supposed to be the third NFL team in as many seasons who were only a quarterback away from a Super Bowl win, and they subsequently went out and got that quarterback. Following in the footsteps of Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford was supposed to be Russell Wilson, traded from Seattle to Denver for a bevy of draft picks and players.
Needless to say, things didn’t work out. The first domino to fall after the Broncos 4-11 record, and Sunday’s 51-14 disaster of a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, was head coach Nathaniel Hackett. The Broncos made it official on Monday morning.
We have parted ways with Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett.
A statement from Broncos Owner & CEO Greg Penner: pic.twitter.com/1tWMjHv6em
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 26, 2022
“On behalf of our ownership and organization, I want to thank Nathaniel Hackett for his dedication as head coach of the Denver Broncos,” owner CEO Greg Panner said in a statement. “We sincerely appreciate Nathaniel’s efforts and wish him and his family all the best in the future.
“Following extensive conversations with George and our ownership group, we determined a new direction would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos. This change was made now out of respect for everyone involved and allows us to immediately begin the search for a new head coach.
“We recognize and appreciate this organization’s championship history, and we understand we have not met that standard. Our fans deserve much better, and I can’t say enough about their loyalty during such a challenging stretch for our team.
“Moving forward, we will carefully evaluate every aspect of our football operations and make whatever changes are necessary to restore this franchise’s winning tradition.
“I will lead our head coaching search with support from our ownership group and George, whom I have confidence in as our general manager. As we begin the process of selecting our next head coach, we remain focused on playing competitive football to finish the season on a positive note.”
Wilson has suffered through the worst season of his career by far, the defense (which was the NFL’s best through most of the season) is starting to regress, and it’s clear from all kinds of sideline stuff that Hackett had lost the team — if he ever had it in the first place.
Hackett is the third NFL coach to be fired in-season in 2022; the Carolina Panthers fired Matt Rhule on October 10, and the Indianapolis Colts fired Frank Reich on November 7.