The Denver Broncos hired and fired three different head coaches from 2017-2022, and now they’re set to go through the process again after parting ways with Nathaniel Hackett.
Denver’s new ownership group did not hire Hackett — or the two coaches before him. They did fire Hackett, though, and now they will begin their own search for a head coach for the first time.
The Broncos’ ownership group is led by majority owner Rob Walton. Below him are team co-owner/CEO Greg Penner (Walton’s son-in-law) and Carrie Walton Penner (Greg’s wife, Walton’s daughter). Below them, Denver has three minority owners: Condoleezza Rice, Mellody Hobson and Lewis Hamilton.
Of those final three, Rice has the most football experience, and she will be part of the team’s head coach search committee. Penner will lead the coach search with help from the other owners and general manager George Paton.
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is confident the team’s ownership group will find the right man for the job.
“I think, first of all, we have a great ownership group,” the QB said Sunday. “Obviously, we have some amazing, wise people. Greg and Carrie, Mr. Walton himself, Rob, and obviously Condoleezza’s a brilliant mind, Mellody, Lewis. We’ve got some amazing people at the forefront of this change and this moment here, and it’s got this moment is a critical moment for us all because it’s going to uplift the change and hopefully all of Broncos Country for a long time.
“That’s what we want, we want a lot of winnings. We want some Super Bowls and championships and obviously, this decision affects so many people and so many of us all in a beautiful way. Hopefully, that’s the case. What I do know is they’re going to do their due diligence on some amazing coaches.”
Wilson believes the Broncos are close to getting things turned around. With the right coach and better injury luck, Denver could get back on track quickly.
“We have a great football team,” the QB said. “I think it didn’t show up this year. There’s been a lot of challenges, a lot of injuries. There’s been a lot of tough times. There’s been a lot of changes. I know that ownership and George will do a tremendous job of making sure that we put the best football team out on that field next year and also with a new head coach situation, they’ll find a great head coach.”
So far, Denver has a list of six known head coach candidates. There might be more interviews on the way, but those six coaches — headlined by Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton — seem to be the team’s top candidates.
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