AFC Notes: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett said that getting fired from both Tampa Bay and Jacksonville made him a better coach.

“Richard Mann was one of my greatest mentors as a wide receiver coach at Tampa,” Hackett said, via SI’s Albert Breer. “And I remember he used to always tell me, ‘You don’t become a real coach until you get your heart ripped out.’ And I never understood what that meant. And I think going through this profession, all coaches have, and I think that when you have to go through that, there’s something about becoming a real coach, going through that adversity. Because we’re asked to help guys through losses. And we’re asked to help people through all these different things that you go through as a football player and the ups and downs of that. So I think as coaches, you have to go through all this stuff. And I think it makes you stronger. It makes you better.”

• Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett says he has “briefly” spoken with the Broncos but expects to have more conversation with them later in the week. (Andrew Mason)
• Mike Klis reports that many of former HC Vic Fangio’s position coaches re-interviewed with new HC Nathaniel Hackett this week, with DB coach Christian Parker set to return. Others could possibly do the same depending on their interviews.

Chiefs

Chiefs HC Andy Reid acknowledged how tough the AFC will be in the future with so many good quarterbacks.

“I’ve said it every week here just that I think that it’s great for the National Football League,” Reid said, via Pro Football Talk. “It’s great for the AFC because we’ve got a lot of these guys in the AFC and creates great competition. And that’s why we’re in this. But the NFL, which it is important to all of us that it stays at the top of all the games, different sports, you’ve got to have that position. It’s got to be strong and I think we’re sitting in a pretty good spot with all the good quarterbacks.”

Raiders

Raiders HC Josh McDaniels is excited to work with QB Derek Carr next year.

“It’ll be a really fun experience for me to have the opportunity to continue to build this thing with him as our leader,” McDaniels said on SiriusXM Radio. “He’s certainly capable of doing a lot of great things, he’s done them before in his career. I’m just looking forward to getting to know him, how he learns the best, what he does, and how we put this thing around him the best way we can to help him be successful and help our team ultimately achieve our goals.”

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler doesn’t expect the Raiders to pick up DE Clelin Ferrell‘s fifth-year option and adds there’s a decent chance Las Vegas trades Ferrell this offseason.
• Raiders LB Denzel Perryman is aware of his pass-coverage criticism, and offered an audience to whoever had some pointers for him this offseason: “Listen, this is an open message to everybody out there who talks about my pass coverage – we can get together this offseason, teach me everything you know. Teach me everything you know, ’cause I need it.” (Paul Gutierrez)