Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders marked Gary Kubiak’s last game as the Denver Broncos head coach. Kubiak as a player, coordinator, and the head coach has been involved in every major success the franchise has had. Outside of Red Miller’s 1977 AFC Championship team and John Fox’s 2014 AFC Championship, Kubiak has been involved in every conference and Super Bowl win the franchise has had.

Simply put, he’s an institution and finding a replacement won’t be easy. Especially considering that Denver will also be searching for a new offensive play caller, Kubiak’s other major role. On the bright side, the Broncos have a splendid organization making them the most appealing landing spot for head-coaching candidates in the NFL.

After John Elway’s press conference in which he gave a few tips on who he might be targeting when he spoke of “bright, young guys” in the league, here are a few options the Broncos could be considering. We also took into account that ideally Denver would keep Wade Phillips and the defensive staff intact finding an offensive replacement for Kubiak.

The obvious choice

Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator, Atlanta Falcons

This is a perfect match as Shanahan quite literally grew up in the Broncos organization, is a football lifer, and one of the rising stars in the coaching industry today. He was also groomed by his father Mike—a man who needs no introduction—and had a large stint with Kubiak coaching in Houston from 2006-09.

Shanahan would be a perfect transition from Kubiak, using many of the same concepts offensively, considering the Broncos former coach ran the same offense as Kyle’s father. He’s also a dynamic play caller and has just lead the Atlanta Falcons to a phenomenal season in which they lead the NFL in points scored per game. He’s a big reason why Matt Ryan is playing his best, and the Falcons offensive line has also strived. All the while, Atlanta’s young running backs have been productive, making the Falcons the fifth-best rushing attack in the league.

As the “best” coaching job out there, the Broncos should have the inside track on Shanahan who, along with Josh McDaniels, is viewed as the hottest young candidate.

Of course, all of this would require mending any bad feelings between the Shanahan’s and Broncos organization regarding the way Mike’s tenure ended.

Other hot, young coordinators

Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins

Joseph’s name keeps coming up for the Broncos as he was their main candidate for the defensive coordinator job before they settled on Phillips.

The former Colorado Buffalo has only been in a coordinator’s role for a few years but is sought of highly in league circles and certainly was by Kubiak and Elway.

Like Teryl Austin, his ability to keep the high defensive standards and his plan on offense would be major question marks.

Teryl Austin, defensive coordinator, Detroit Lions

Last time the Broncos searched for a head coach, Austin was asked to interview but never did once it was clear Denver was set on taking Kubiak.

After a successful two-year stint as the Lions defensive coordinator, his stock is quite high. It’s likely the organization still has interest even though he doesn’t check all the boxes. Questions on how he’d maintain the high defensive standards would loom large, and the arrival of another defensive coordinator would signify an almost certain goodbye for Wade Phillips. His offensive philosophy and potential offensive coordinator hires would play a big role in this possible hire.

Jim Bob Cooter, offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions

Cooter has become one of the hotter names in the coaching business, and at only 32 years old he already has an impressive resume.

As the Broncos offensive assistant in 2013, he played a role in Denver’s historic attack with Adam Gase as the coordinator and Peyton Manning at the helm. He’s also been crucial in transforming the Lions offense into a much more productive unit since taking over in 2015, while also allowing Matthew Stafford to plays some of his most efficient football in his career.

He’s only been a coordinator for a little over a season so he might be too green for this high profile a job, but given his offensive mind and past in Denver, he shouldn’t be discarded as a pick.

Darrell Bevell, offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks

Bevell is one of the true hot coordinator names in the business, and the Seahawks are probably lucky to have had him from 2011 to now. At 46, he’s had over a decade of experience as a coordinator and certainly has the chops to take the next step.

While Seattle’s defense gains most of the headlines, Bevell’s work in developing Russell Wilson and offensive production with sometimes lesser talent shouldn’t be overlooked.

Bevell uses a west-coast scheme, making the transition from Kubiak fairly smooth. Along with Shanahan, he seems to be the most logical candidate in terms of the roster at hand. Bevell has been aided by Tom Cable, one of the better offensive line coaches in the business while in the northwest, how he would fix the line in Denver would likely be his first order of business, and if he could bring Cable with him, that could be a big win.  

His availability to interview could be greatly dependent on how deep Seattle’s playoff run goes this season and how patient Denver would be in waiting to interview him.

From the college ranks

David Shaw, head coach, Stanford

The hot college coach in NFL circles right now is David Shaw, the former Jim Harbaugh assistant who maintained incredibly high standards of winning at Stanford despite the rigorous academic requirements the program has.

By all accounts, he’s a great leader of men and has a background as an offensive coach, helping him to fit the profile of what Denver needs. He coached in the league from 1997-2006 with two stints in the AFC West (Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers), not to mention he’s a Stanford man like Elway.

The appeal with Shaw is big; he’s emphasized gritty, physical teams up front with some of the FBS’ best lines and played a 3-4 defense both fits in what Denver’s tried to establish the last few season.

He might not be ready to leave college, though saying no to an organization like Denver’s would be much harder than say the Cleveland Browns.

Troy Calhoun, head coach, Air Force

Calhoun’s name seems to always come up when the Broncos are in search of a coach though he never seems to be a serious candidate.

With his experience coaching under Shanahan and Kubiak in both Denver and Houston, plus a stellar record at Air Force despite totally different recruiting restrictions, Calhoun is one of the most competent coaching candidates there is. He would fit the coaching tree of Shanahan and Kubiak and make the transition fairly seamless as an offensive mind.

Stayed tuned to BSN Denver as more details emerge on the Denver Broncos head coaching search.