The Denver Broncos are bringing in Gary Kubiak to take over as head coach after parting ways with John Fox and now John Elway can turn his attention on whether Peyton Manning will be returning or if he will retire and this comes as the team has a number of big free agents, including Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas, Rahim Moore and Orlando Franklin.
The Broncos interviewed offensive coordinator Adam Gase and also considered Mike Shanahan, Dan Quinn and Teryl Austin, but ultimately Kubiak became the favorite. According to Pro Football Talk, the Denver Post reports that the team is putting together a four year deal for Kubiak to take over as head coach and that means he will be leaving the Ravens as offensive coordinator. Kubiak has deep connections to the franchise, as he was the backup for John Elway for many years and also was an assistant with the team.
Fox and Denver split ways after the season and while it was called a "mutual agreement", reports had Elway and Fox differing on how to move forward with the franchise. Kubiak comes in with close ties to Elway, who has already expressed his interest in bringing Manning back for another season. The Broncos were upset by the Colts in the playoffs and Manning did not look himself and now he could consider hanging it up after this season. Manning likely will return, but he said he will take time before making a decision.
Manning reportedly was dealing with a serious injury down the stretch of the season and that is one reason why he struggled against the Colts. Kubiak comes in as an offensive minded coach and he is coming off of a successful run with the Ravens working as their coordinator. Kubiak previously was head coach of the Houston Texans from 2006 until 2013 and he was fairly successful, winning 63 games and two division titles in the AFC South.
Demaryius Thomas is coming off of his best season and he was the top target once again for Peyton Manning and is considered a priority for the team. Elway said that the team would consider using the franchise tag if needed, but that he hopes they can sign back Thomas long term. Thomas finished the season with 111 catches and 1619 yards to set career highs and he added 11 touchdowns and averaged over 100 yards per game. The Broncos had one of the best offenses last season and they may have to replace Adam Gase and that comes as the team already has to replace Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator.
Kubiak was a target for the Chicago Bears, but he reportedly turned down the chance at interviewing for that head coaching job, which now has gone to John Fox. Now that the Broncos have hired a head coach to replace Fox, Elway has a number of pressing matters to deal with, including getting a new coaching staff together and preparing for free agency as well as the draft. The Thomas free agents in Julius and Demaryius are priorities, while Welker may not end up returning after an up and down season dealing with injuries.