According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Denver Broncos are expected to aim high in their coaching search with the backing of new, deep-pocketed owners. Their top targets include former Saints HC Sean Payton, Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh and Cowboys DC Dan Quinn.
Adam Schefter adds in terms of salary, there shouldn’t be any impediments with the Walton family becoming the NFL’s newest and richest ownership group. The holdup will be convincing a candidate to take on the particular challenges of the Broncos job.
That along with the draft compensation a team would need to send to pry Payton from the Saints could keep him away from Denver, per Rapoport and Pelissero, as Payton would need to sign on to work with QB Russell Wilson.
The two notes the Broncos are one of multiple NFL teams who have done research on Harbaugh as a candidate, and while he said last year he was done flirting with the NFL, that will soon be put to the test.
Quinn is close with Broncos GM George Paton, has the previous experience the team is looking for, and Rapoport and Pelissero note Denver could compete financially with the Cowboys. The catch is Quinn was seen as a strong candidate last year and pulled out of the running.
Should the Broncos miss on all their top targets, Rapoport and Pelissero write they’re looking at other younger options, including current DC Ejiro Evero.
Payton, 58, began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles as their QBs coach back in 1997. He later joined the Giants for three seasons before the Cowboys hired him as their assistant HC/QBs coach for the 2003 season.
The Saints brought Payton in as their head coach for the 2006 season and he later agreed to an extension that would have kept him in New Orleans through the 2024 season back in 2019.
For his career, Payton has led the Saints to a record of 152-89 (63.1 percent), which includes nine playoff appearances and one Super Bowl title in 2009.
Harbaugh, 58, was a first-round pick out of Michigan by the Bears in 1987. He played 14 years in the league before becoming a coach, first with the Raiders. He was hired by San Diego as head coach in 2004 and took the same position with Stanford in 2007.
The 49ers hired Harbaugh as their head coach in 2007. He was fired in 2014 and hired as head coach at Michigan.
During his four years with the 49ers, he led them to a record of 44-19-1 (69.5 percent), which included three playoff appearances and an NFC Championship.
At Michigan, Harbaugh’s teams have produced a record of 74-25 (71.8 percent). That includes a 1-5 record in bowl games and two trips to the College Football Playoff.
Quinn, 52, got his start in the NFL in 2001 with the 49ers as a defensive quality control coach before being promoted to defensive line coach. He spent time with the Dolphins, Jets, and Seahawks in the same position before being promoted to defensive coordinator in Seattle in 2013.
Quinn was hired by the Falcons as their head coach in 2015. He helped guide the team to a Super Bowl appearance in his second year in 2016.
The Cowboys hired Quinn as their defensive coordinator last January.
As the Falcons head coach, Quinn led the team to a record of 43-42 (50.5 percent) over the course of six seasons, which includes two playoff appearances.
We’ll have more on the Broncos coaching search as the news is available.
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