Gary Kubiak Open To Returning To NFL, Exploring Non-Coaching Opportunities

Former Broncos and Texans HC Gary Kubiak mentioned Wednesday that he still wants to work, despite stepping down as Denver’s head coach shortly after the season.

“I want to work,” Kubiak told Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. “I still get up every day at 4:30 and I want something to do. Lately I’ve been getting on my tractor and messing around the farm.”

Kubiak did, however, say that he won’t return to coaching but he has been in contact with some people around the league about potential opportunities.

“I’ve had some great conversations around the league with some people. Is that personnel? I don’t know. I talked to some colleges about various situations that are very interesting to me,” Kubiak said. “What I’m going to do is make sure I take a good break here — it’s only been a month — then I’m going to make a decision and go get after it. I’m hoping within the next couple of months I’ll decide on where I want to go next and what I want to do.

“My next stop is not going to be coaching, and I’m kind of excited about that because there are a lot of things about the game that I’ve always loved. I love evaluating, I love the draft, I love evaluating players and doing those types of things. I had some really interesting conversations with some colleges. So we’ll see.”

Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis also expects Kubiak to eventually get back in the league.

“I’m sure he’s texting John (Elway) all the time about that,” Ellis said. “I found it interesting that he said he’s retired from coaching, but he didn’t use the words ‘for now.’ Because as time passes he might be able to fall back on those two words. But we’ll see. My guess is he’ll get back into football. It’s in his blood.”

Kubiak’s decision to step down as Broncos’ head coach was reportedly due to concerns about his health. Last October, Kubiak missed the team’s Thursday night game due to what was referred to as a “complex migraine condition.”

While he was with the Texans, Kubiak suffered a mini-stroke during a game and had to be rushed to the hospital, so his healthy history is clearly a big concern for him moving forward.

Although, it sounds like he’s conscious of these issues and plans to find something that strikes a balance between being actively involved in the NFL and ensuring his future health.

Kubiak, 55, began his NFL coaching career with the 49ers back in 1994 as their QBs coach and later took over as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator/QBs coach the following year. The Texans hired him as their head coach in 2006 and he spent eight years in Houston.

The Ravens hired him as their offensive coordinator in 2014 but he spent just a year in Baltimore before he was hired as the Broncos head coach.

For his career, Kubiak’s teams posted a record of 82-75 (52.2 percent) to go along with three playoff appearances including a Super Bowl championship in 2015.

We’ll have more regarding Kubiak returning to the NFL as the news is available.