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The Denver Broncos pulled an early plug on the Nathaniel Hackett experiment the day after Christmas, firing the head coach just 15 games into his tenure leading the team. The Broncos sit at 4-11 on the season after a 51-14 shellacking courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day.
Considering Denver mortgaged its future to land Russell Wilson with the hope of making a deep playoff push, a change had to be made.
And now, the Broncos will begin a search for Hackett’s replacement.
With the news of Hackett’s firing and the upcoming search for a new head coach, the folks in Las Vegas sent out some early betting odds on who will take over. Unsurprisingly, former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton tops the list.
Payton stepped down as Saints head coach following the 2021 NFL season after 16 years with the team. He led New Orleans to an overall record of 161-97 and is the winningest coach in franchise history. Since stepping down, teams have been attempting to land Payton — most notably the Miami Dolphins, we were fined $1.5 million and forced to forfeit a 2023 first-round pick for tampering with Payton and Tom Brady between the 2019 and 2021 seasons. Many believe Payton will return to coaching for the right opportunity.
Other favorites include Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator and play-caller Shane Steichen, and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.
Who else could land the gig?
A full look at the betting odds and favorites to become the new Denver Broncos head coach can be seen below, via BetOnline.ag.
Next Broncos Head Coach Odds
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| Sean Payton | 4/1 | |
| Dan Quinn | 5/1 | |
| Jim Caldwell | 6/1 | |
| Shane Steichen | 7/1 | |
| DeMeco Ryans | 15/2 | |
| Eric Bieniemy | 9/1 | |
| Frank Reich | 9/1 | |
| Kellen Moore | 10/1 | |
| Eljiro Evero | 12/1 | |
| Jim Harbaugh | 12/1 | |
| Byron Leftwich | 16/1 | |
| Leslie Frazier | 16/1 | |
| Brian Flores | 18/1 | |
| Brian Schottenheimer | 18/1 | |
| Darren Bevell | 20/1 | |
| Peyton Manning | 50/1 | |
| Bill Cowher | 66/1 | |
| Gary Kubiak | 100/1 | |
| John Elway | 100/1 | |
| Mike Shanahan | 100/1 | |
| Shannon Sharpe | 100/1 | |
| Pete Carroll | 150/1 |
