5 retread head coach options the Broncos could pursue for 2022

Denver Broncos - Retread HC options in 2022.
Denver Broncos - Retread HC options in 2022. /
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Denver Broncos, George Paton
Denver Broncos general manager George Paton. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

The Denver Broncos could be looking for a new head coach for the 2022 season and beyond. Here are a few retread options that make sense.

The 2021 NFL season is far from over, but with seven games remaining, it feels like the Denver Broncos could be headed toward a new head coach search for 2022 and beyond.

If the team decides to part ways with Vic Fangio as head coach, it will be fascinating to see what kind of net is cast by first-year general manager George Paton. It made sense after the 2020 pandemic-impacted season that Paton would stay out of the head coach market and wait a year. He did the same at the quarterback position.

Paton understandably likes Fangio and has noted that Fangio was a major reason he took the Denver job in the first place. We’ll see if Paton prefers Fangio over available options on the 2022 head coach circuit, which could include some big names.

Will the Denver Broncos bring in a retread head coach in 2022?

Just to make it clear, the Denver Broncos moving on from Vic Fangio is not a foregone conclusion at this point. However, it feels like the team needs to make a change in that spot, and just generally in the NFL, when you hire a new general manager, that move is typically followed by a new head coach and a new quarterback, at least in most cases.

George Paton took the Denver job after a decade of turning down other jobs while he was with the Minnesota Vikings. He has a chance to build the team his way in Denver, and it will be exciting to see how he continues to put his stamp on things in 2022 and beyond.

Given the fact that the Denver Broncos have had outstanding success with retread head coaches and not the greatest success with first-time head coaches, could Paton dip into that pool again this offseason?

It would certainly make a lot of sense if that’s the move. Hiring a “retread” sounds bad but it isn’t always bad. There are some proven coaches that could be available and they’re all worth digging into. Here’s a look at five candidates, in order of my personal preference, that could be looked at by the Denver Broncos if they move on from Vic Fangio.