One NFL team didn’t wait until the end of the season to fire its head coach. On Monday, the Denver Broncos announced they have parted ways with head coach Nathaniel Hackett. According to ESPN, Hackett’s firing makes his run the shortest of any non-interim head coach in franchise history. This comes after the Broncos lost to Los Angeles Rams 51-14 on Christmas Day to drop their record to 4-11 on the year.
“On behalf of our ownership and organization, I want to thank Nathaniel Hackett for his dedication as head coach of the Denver Broncos. We sincerely appreciate Nathaniel’s efforts and wish him and his family all the best in the future,” Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner said in a statement. “Following extensive conversations with George and our ownership group, we determined a new direction would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos. This change was made now out of respect for everyone involved and allows us to immediately begin the search for a new head coach.”
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At one point during the season, the Broncos had the No. 1 scoring defense and the No. 32 scoring offense in the NFL. The team is eliminated from playoff contention and hasn’t been back to the postseason since the 2015 season when they won the Super Bowl. This is also the longest playoff drought since the Broncos’ earliest years between 1960-1976. During the offseason, the Broncos traded for Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson and signed him to a five-year, $245 million contract.
“We recognize and appreciate this organization’s championship history, and we understand we have not met that standard. Our fans deserve much better, and I can’t say enough about their loyalty during such a challenging stretch for our team,” Penner continued. “Moving forward, we will carefully evaluate every aspect of our football operations and make whatever changes are necessary to restore this franchise’s winning tradition.
“I will lead our head coaching search with support from our ownership group and George, whom I have confidence in as our general manager. As we begin the process of selecting our next head coach, we remain focused on playing competitive football to finish the season on a positive note.”
Hackett, 43, was hired as the Broncos head coach earlier this year after spending the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. He also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills as either an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach.
