For the time being, the Denver Broncos are keeping teams away from one of the top secret weapons on their coaching staff. Former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard spent the 2024 season with the Denver Broncos as their secondary coach and passing game coordinator on defense, and after receiving multiple inquiries from other teams, he will be returning to the Mile High City for 2025.
#Broncos defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard, a former player who drew interest from at least three teams for defensive coordinator jobs, has elected to remain in Denver, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 27, 2025
Leonhard coached, among others, potential defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain II. pic.twitter.com/fPMvisX3z1
The Broncos have had a couple of people plucked from their front office and coaching staff recently with Darren Mougey heading to the New York Jets to be their general manager and tight ends coach Declan Doyle getting a promotion with the Chicago Bears as their new offensive coordinator.
It's possible we're not done seeing the Broncos get their coaching staff picked over, but Leonhard isn't going anywhere and that should excite Broncos Country.
Jim Leonhard could be Broncos defensive coordinator as early as 2026
It always felt like the Denver Broncos hired Jim Leonhard with a succession plan in mind, and his decision to return to Denver despite drawing interest from "at least three" other teams is some evidence that might be the case. Leonhard was once a red-hot candidate in the coaching world as the defensive coordinator of the Wisconsin Badgers, but the momentum came to a bit of a halt when he had to have surgery and was relegated to an assistant/consultant role with the Illinois program in 2023.
The NFL obviously still maintained its interest in Leonhard, a former player who excelled at safety as well as on special teams, and the Broncos were the ones who benefitted from it.
With Vance Joseph likely in line for a head coaching gig in 2026 (after receiving multiple interviews again in 2025), the succession plan is obvious: Whenever Vance Joseph gets hired as a head coach or is deemed replaceable, Jim Leonhard will likely take his place.
It's important to note that is not a hard piece of news, but merely an assumption based on deductive reasoning. But it seems likely, and it's great for the Broncos that Leonhard is coming back.
The Denver secondary saw a nice boost in 2024 with Leonhard on the staff. Pat Surtain II is great in his own right, but might take home Defensive Player of the Year honors. Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillian both showed signs of progress as young starters in the secondary. Brandon Jones earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro votes at safety.
It was a rather impressive year for all of the unknowns the Broncos' secondary entered the year with.
Leonhard is a tremendous asset to Denver's staff and they likely had to pay up to keep him away from other teams going forward, not only financially but likely with some assurances of his role going forward.