Broncos’ 2022 Head Coach Tracker: The official candidate list begins to build

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — George Paton’s officially on the market to hire his first head coach as general manager of the Denver Broncos.

After firing Vic Fangio on Sunday, Paton and the Broncos have begun the process of searching for Denver’s 18th head coach in franchise history.

Here are the latest updates about where the head coaching search stands and what to know about all of the candidates.

Most recent updates

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

• The Broncos first interview will be on Thursday, Jan. 13 with Lions’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. The search committee will then travel to Green Bay and interview Packers’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy.
• Denver’s head coach search committee will consist of Paton along with chief communications officer Patrick Smyth, executive director of football operations Kelly Kleine, vice president of football administration Rich Hurtado, director of player personnel Darren Mougey and vice president of player development Ray Jackson.
• The Broncos requested permission to interview Bengals’ offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. The 37-year old began his coaching career with the Broncos in 2010 and stayed with the team through the 2015 Super Bowl run. He has worked under Zac Taylor in Cincinatti since 2019 and helped groom Joe Burrow.
• Doug Pederson is a name to watch for an interview with the Broncos.
• Denver requested permission to interview Green Bay’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy. The 37-year old has worked with Aaron Rodgers the past three seasons and also has experience coaching at the collegiate level. He’s the second interview request from the Packers’ offensive staff Paton has submitted.

Monday, January 10, 2022

• Denver asked the Lions permission to interview their defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. The former first-round pick in 1994 has experience in the NFL as a scout and defensive coach. He was the Saints’ defensive backs coach before becoming Detroit’s defensive coordinator last year.
• The Broncos requested permission to interview Rams’ offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell. The 36-year old is viewed as having the potential to be the next Sean McVay, especially after working under him in Los Angeles the past two seasons.
• Paton’s first interview request to a surprise candidate is Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. The 39-year old first-year defensive coordinator was with Paton in Minnesota from 2014-17 as the Vikings’ assistant defensive backs coach. He also has experience as a scout.
• Denver requested permission to interview Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Not only was Bieniemy an All-American at the University of Colorado, but then he began his coaching career at CU as well. He has been one of the most talked about potential head coaching candidates the past few years working under Andy Reid and helping develop Patrick Mahomes.
• Green Bay’s offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was added to the Broncos’ list of coaches they requested to interview. Hackett has had tremendous success with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, but also had success in Jacksonville with Blake Bortles. He’s one of the most popular offensive minds in this coaching search.
• The Broncos requested permission to interview Dallas’ offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. At only 33 years old, Moore is viewed as one of the most exciting, young offensive minds in the league.
• Denver requested permission from the Cowboys to interview their defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. The former Falcons’ head coach has previous ties to Paton.
• The Broncos requested permission from the Patriots to interview their inside linebacker coach Jerod Mayo. The former New England linebacker is one of the hottest up-and-coming names on the market.

Sunday, January 9, 2022

• Paton informed Vic Fangio on Sunday morning he will not be returning for the 2022 season, ending his three-year tenure with the Broncos after racking up a 19-30 record.
• Paton stated the No. 1 trait he’s looking for in Denver’s next head coach is strong leadership abilities.

Candidate list

Interviews requested

• Jerod Mayo, Patriots’ inside linebacker coach
• Dan Quinn, Cowboys’ defensive coordinator
• Kellen Moore, Cowboys’ offensive coordinator
• Nathaniel Hackett, Packers’ offensive coordinator
• Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs’ offensive coordinator
• Jonathan Gannon, Eagles’ defensive coordinator
• Kevin O’Connell, Rams’ offensive coordinator
• Aaron Glenn, Lions’ defensive coordinator
• Luke Getsy, Packers’ passing game coordinator/QB coach
• Brian Callahan, Bengals’ offensive coordinator

Interviews scheduled

• Aaron Glenn, Lions’ defensive coordinator — Thursday, Jan. 13
• Nathaniel Hackett, Packers’ offensive coordinator — Saturday, Jan. 15
• Luke Getsy, Packers’ passing game coordinator/QB coach — Saturday, Jan. 15

Completed interviews

• None at the moment