The Denver Broncos and head coach Sean Payton made one of the more surprising coaching moves of the 2025 offseason (relatively speaking) by firing special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica. The decision to fire Kotwica came just a few months after longtime special teams guru Mike Westhoff stepped down from his position with the Broncos, paving the way for Kotwica and assistant special teams coordinator Chris Banjo to run the show.
Now, after losing all of Westhoff (stepped down), Kotwica (fired), and Banjo (took promotion with Jets), the Broncos are closing in on making what could be the best non-head coach hire of the entire 2025 offseason. They are reportedly closing in on making former New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator and interim head coach Darren Rizzi their new special teams coordinator.
As the #Saints zero in on Kellen Moore, slated to have another conversation with him after the Super Bowl, interim coach Darren Rizzi is likely to become the new #Broncos special teams coordinator, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2025
Back with Sean Payton, and an important hire. pic.twitter.com/k6P0YwoOIP
Broncos closing in on hiring Darren Rizzi as special teams coordinator
Nothing has been made official just yet because it can't be, but the Saints appear to be set to hire Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as their new head coach. That move is fascinating in itself, but the reason why Rizzi hasn't been officially hired by the Broncos yet is that he's technically still in the running for that Saints job.
And Saints players definitely want him to stick around.
When Dennis Allen was fired during the 2024 season, Rizzi took his place as interim head coach and while the Saints didn't go on a miraculous run, by any means, Rizzi certainly gained the favor of his players there with the Saints. And he's always been extremely well-liked by the players.
Aite my vote for head coach rhyme wit Fizzi…
— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) January 21, 2025
The Denver Broncos ranked in the top 3 in starting field position last season both offensively and defensively. The special teams are not "bad" by any stretch of the imagination. Marvin Mims Jr. made his second Pro Bowl and his second All-Pro team as a return specialist. Wil Lutz was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week multiple times the last two seasons.
It's been a meteoric rise for the special teams compared to where they were under Tom McMahon, but they weren't good enough. Kicking issues late in the season arguably doomed the Broncos (missed kick vs. Buffalo in the playoffs, bad kickoff strategy, poor punting by Riley Dixon). There was also the complete debacle that was against the Kansas City Chiefs where a field goal that has been made nearly 93 percent of the time over the last five years was blocked.
A major error on punt coverage by Tremon Smith contributed significantly to the Broncos' road loss against the Chargers late in the year.
The Broncos undoubtedly fired Ben Kotwica and let Chris Banjo walk because they knew they could get Rizzi in the fold. Rizzi is the type of assistant coach who can be a huge asset in the "hidden yardage" portion of the game. He is going to be a tremendous addition to Sean Payton's staff and will end up being a hugely underrated piece of Denver's offseason.