Broncos pass on Kevin O’Connell, will hire Nathaniel Hackett as next head coach

Kevin O’Connell, the 36-year-old offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, has received multiple interviews for head coaching jobs and was a finalist for the Denver Broncos in their coaching search. The keyword from above is ‘was’ as the Broncos have knocked down the first domino of the coaching hires. They are finalizing a deal to make Nathaniel Hackett their next head coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

According to multiple reports, the three finalists for the Broncos’ vacant head coaching job were O’Connell, Hackett, and Dan Quinn. While Quinn brings previous head coaching experience, Denver likely wanted someone that was an offensive-minded coach after falling flat with Vic Fangio at the helm.

I won’t be the first or last person to suggest that the Broncos hired Hackett to try and persuade Aaron Rodgers to request a trade to Denver. Hackett has been the offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers for the past three seasons.

With Hackett being hired by the Broncos, we might actually see an assistant (O’Connell) under Sean McVay stay multiple years. That being said, O’Connell also interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings thus far, so the door isn’t closed for him to get a head coaching gig this offseason.

The Houston Texans also requested an interview with O’Connell, but he has yet to officially conduct that interview. There’s a chance that O’Connell wants to avoid the Texans after they fired David Culley just one year after hiring him – despite him exceeding expectations in a tumultuous environment.

Only time will tell if O’Connell returns as the offensive coordinator for the Rams next season.