The Denver Broncos have fired coach Nathaniel Hackett, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported on Monday.
Buy Broncos TicketsThe team confirmed the firing shortly after NFL Network’s report. Denver will not fire general manager George Paton.
The Broncos had been expected to wait until the end of the season to fire Hackett, but an embarrassing 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day seemingly forced action from the team’s new ownership group.
Greg Penner, the team’s CEO and co-owner, released the following statement on Monday:
On behalf of our ownership and organization, I want to thank Nathaniel Hackett for his dedication as head coach of the Denver Broncos. 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.
Hackett was hired this offseason with the goal of helping improve Denver’s struggling offense. Instead, the offense took a step back under his guidance, with the Broncos scoring just 15.5 points per game this year, the lowest points total in the NFL.
Denver will now turn to an interim coach for the final two games of the season. The Broncos will have a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday followed by a home season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18.
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