Tag: Kelly Kleine Van Calligan

Coach and GM roundup: Titans hire ex-Broncos assistant as head coach

Coach roundup: Titans hired ex-Broncos assistant Brian Callahan as HC, Raiders stick with Antonio Pierce while Chargers land Jim Harbaugh.

Story update: After this post was scheduled, the Los Angeles Chargers agreed to terms with Jim Harbaugh to be their new head coach. See our original post below. 

The NFL’s coaching carousel continues turning as teams outside the playoffs begin preparing for the 2024 campaign.

After firing Mike Vrabel, the Tennessee Titans have replaced him with former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their new head coach. Callahan, 39, was an assistant coach with the Denver Broncos from 2010-2015, helping the team win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

Peyton Manning has heaped praise on Callahan, who left the Broncos in 2016 to become the Detroit Lions’ quarterbacks coach. After two seasons in Detroit, Callahan coached QBs for the Oakland Raiders in 2018 before getting Cincy’s OC job in 2019.

Seven years after leaving Denver, Callahan was a candidate to return to the Broncos in 2022 when the team fired Vic Fangio. The Broncos interviewed Callahan for their HC opening before eventually hiring Nathaniel Hackett instead. Two years later, Callahan is now a HC in Tennessee and the Broncos have replaced Hackett with Sean Payton.

Elsewhere on the coaching front, the Atlanta Falcons have completed a second head coach interview with Ejiro Evero, who served as Denver’s defensive coordinator in 2022.

Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker has interviewed for the New England Patriots’s defensive coordinator position, but Pats in-house candidate DeMarcus Covington is considered the favorite to land that gig.

Meanwhile, in the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders have officially hired Antonio Pierce as their new head coach, removing his interim tag. Las Vegas has also hired a general manager, bringing in Tom Telesco. That means the Raiders will not hire Denver executive Kelly Kleine Van Calligan, who interviewed for the GM opening.

Las Vegas is now set to interview ex-Broncos QBs coach Mike Sullivan (2018) for their offensive coordinator position.

The Los Angeles Chargers have interviewed Vrabel for their HC opening, but Jim Harbaugh is believed to be a leading candidate for the job after setting up a second interview with Los Angeles.

The Chargers and Patriots are still seeking GMs. L.A.’s list of GM candidates includes Jeff Ireland, Dawn Aponte and Jeff King.

In addition to the Chargers and Falcons, the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders also have HC openings. Harbaugh, Vrabel and Bill Belichick are the most notable coaches still available.

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Coach and GM roundup: Commanders hire ex-Broncos scout as GM

Adam Peters worked his way up from scout to director of college scouting with the Broncos before joining the 49ers. He is now a GM in DC.

As we wait for word on any coaching staff changes for the Denver Broncos, other teams across the league have been busy making moves.

The Washington Commanders recently hired ex-Broncos executive Adam Peters as their new general manager. Peters joined Denver’s staff in 2009 and he worked his way up from scout to director of college scouting before being hired by the San Francisco 49ers as vice president of player personnel in 2017. Peters served as an assistant GM with the Niners from 2021-2023.

Elsewhere, the New Orleans Saints have fired offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, who worked under Broncos coach Sean Payton in New Orleans from 2006-2021. Joe Lombardi currently holds the OC job in Denver.

Meanwhile, in the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders are both seeking new head coaches and general managers.

The most notable coach candidate the Chargers have interviewed is Jim Harbaugh (who was a candidate for Denver last year). ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes Los Angeles is targeting Harbaugh as “their guy.”

The Chargers also set up a head coach interview with Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who coached in Denver from 2010-2015.

The Raiders are also said to have interest in Harbaugh, but it sounds like interim coach Antonio Pierce is a strong candidate to get the full-time job. On the GM front, Las Vegas’ list of candidates includes Broncos executive Kelly Kleine Van Calligan, who joined Denver’s staff in 2021.

If the Raiders hire Van Calligan as their new GM, the Broncos would be awarded a pair of third-round compensatory draft picks (one in 2024 and in 2025) as part of the NFL’s Rooney Rule that rewards teams for developing minority executives and coaches.

In addition to the Chargers and Raiders, the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders are also seeking new coaches this offseason. The most notable candidates available are Harbaugh, Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel.

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Raiders interview Broncos exec Kelly Kleine Van Calligan for GM job

The Raiders recently interviewed Broncos executive Kelly Kleine Van Calligan for their open general manager position.

The Las Vegas Raiders recently interviewed Denver Broncos executive Kelly Kleine Van Calligan for their open general manager position, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported on Wednesday evening.

The Raiders are seeking a new GM after firing David Ziegler in October. Champ Kelly held the position in an interim basis to close out the 2023 season.

Van Calligan is the Broncos’ executive director of football operations/special advisor to the general manager. From the team’s official website:

Kleine serves as the primary liaison for the Broncos’ football operations and maintains significant responsibilities with both pro and college scouting. She is involved in all aspects of the Broncos’ personnel department, including player evaluation, NFL Draft/free agency preparations and day-to-day football administration.

Reporting directly to General Manager George Paton, Kleine oversees the Broncos’ video department while collaborating across many other areas throughout the organization.

Van Calligan joined Denver’s staff in 2021. She previously worked alongside Paton for nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Paton called Van Calligan “a rising star in the NFL” when she joined the Broncos three years ago.

If the Raiders hire Van Calligan as their new GM, Denver would be awarded a pair of third-round compensatory draft picks (one in 2024 and in 2025) as part of the NFL’s Rooney Rule that rewards teams for developing minority executives and coaches.

The Broncos currently hold six picks to use in this year’s draft.

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