Getty ImagesEvery year, there’s a surprise firing in the NFL. This year, the surprise could come in the form of a resignation. (Although now that it’s out there, it really wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?)
With mounting speculation and rumor that Broncos coach Gary Kubiak may step down after the 2016 season ends, Kubiak did nothing to slam the door on any such talk when talking to reporters on Friday.
“I love this league,” Kubiak said in response to a question about his desire to continue in the job. “I love the Broncos. I love the work, you know? You know, I’m all in on the Raiders right now. There will be time for reflection and all that stuff next week, but right now it’s time to focus on what we’re doing.”
On the surface, it’s an ominous quote. If Kubiak, who has had a pair of health issues in recent years including one that caused him to miss a game in October, is all in for 2017, why not say so? Here’s one possible reason: Questions are swirling about possible changes to the coaching staff. Kubiak may have regarded it as unseemly to declare that he’ll definitely be back, given that multiple assistant coaches may not be.
Regardless, the rumors of a looming resignation surely made their way to Kubiak before he spoke, which makes his decision to not say something like “what the hell are you talking about?” curious, to say the least.
If Kubiak decides after “reflection and all that stuff” to leave, it will truly be his own decision. As one source with knowledge of the situation explained it to PFT, the Broncos have a high degree of fondness and affection for Kubiak and his coaching capabilities, and they want him to remain.
Soon enough, we’ll know whether the Super Bowl 50 champions will be following up their first season without a playoff berth since 2010 with their fourth head coach since firing Mike Shanahan.
LA Rams bound?
Kubiak lost the locker room after the NE game when Talib and Okung got into it. Once a coach loses the respect of his players, it’s all over for that coach.
Ask Chip Kelly, Rex Ryan, and Jeff Fisher…
As a close friend of the organization I believe that if Kubiak were to step down, he would still be involved in the Broncos in some way shape of form. His Elway connection, love of the game and QB Whisperer capabilities would ensure him a suitable, sustainable role somewhere there.
Wade Phillips back as coach for the Broncos? Surely not John Fox.
Kubiak is 55 years old. He’s made something like 40 or 50 million between playing and coaching.
At what point for most people is the extended grind of the NFL still attractive versus retiring when you’re still young enough to enjoy all those millions?
“blitzinc43 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:11 PM
As a close friend of the organization”
Lolz haven’t you made posts in the last couple weeks claiming to be “close friends” of at least a dozen of these teams?
Lol I doubt you have any connection to any of them.
He lost a Hall Of Fame Qb after winning a Super Bowl. I don’t see any reason to throw the panic switch. If he’s thinking about going to L.A. …. good luck with that grease fire.
If true, it would be a shame to go out after this season, as opposed to last.
Another 1-year dynasty…..
He’s a bad coach. What happened in Houston is now happening in Denver. It is an absolute disgrace that the Broncos have the NFL’s best defense and will not make the playoffs.
Kubiak would never leave the Broncos for another team. If he is having health issues, I hope he does step down, and focuses, on that, and his family. Family first.
Who would notice?
i still have no idea how this guy coached a team to a super bow win
then again, the rampant roid and cap cheating in
denver authorized on numerous accounts by john elway, going back
20 years, is a big reason why
no one could believe goodel protected gomer manning
last year when he admitted peds were sent to his own homr
now that that ped supply is cut off, denver stinks
very interesting
some franchises are protected in order to hopefully beat
the pats to keep parity in place, while completely manufactured
“scandals” are concocted by roger goodell against the pats
harrisonhits2 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:17 PM
“blitzinc43 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:11 PM
As a close friend of the organization”
Lolz haven’t you made posts in the last couple weeks claiming to be “close friends” of at least a dozen of these teams?
Lol I doubt you have any connection to any of them.
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Sounds like you’re on to him. Congrats on breaking the case open Columbo.
broncos got lucky the Pats were decimated by injuries last year and lost home field, otherwise they wouldn’t even be a pathetic 1 and done team like they are.
Kubiak lost the locker room after the NE game when Talib and Okung got into it. Once a coach loses the respect of his players, it’s all over for that coach.
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You know this how? LOL! Go stand in the corner.
His super bowl year was a major outlier, like the ’85 Bears. The Broncos will never have that combination of talent and luck again.
Would it surprise me if Kubiak retired? No, but the chances of that happening are maybe 30% at most. But if he did, I’m betting it on Elway grabbing McCoy right after San Diego lets him go.
Either way, count on at least Dennison being demoted from OC to OL coach as he was trained under guru Alex Gibbs. I’m betting on McCoy being OC as Spanos won’t be able to sell tickets in LA without a fresh start.
Misleading headline, he pretty much said what every coach except BB does this time of year. Which is we will see after the season
Signing a healthy Tony Romo (if he stays healthy) would put the Broncos right back into playoff contention.
This team is a mess without Manning
Is anyone more paranoid and full of conspiracy theories than tylawspick6? What a pathetic loser.
Tylawspick6 you truly are a pathetic excuse for a human being I honestly can’t wait for garbage, bike spewing sub humans like you to depart this earth
.
As Bill Parcells famously said, “you are what your record says you are” Right now the Broncos are the third best team in the AFC West, an 8-8 squad . They have a myriad of issues, but little draft capital and zero cap space to remedy the problems.
As the Raiders, Chiefs, and possibly even the Chargers improve, the Broncos future looks bleak. Expectations in Denver have always been high and things could turn very ugly if the Broncos continue to fade. Kubiak could be fleeing a sinking ship.
.
Chuck Noll, truly one of the greats, won four SB’s. Do you have any idea of his won-lost prior to the first one? Or, even after?
harrisonhits2 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:16 PM
Kubiak is 55 years old. He’s made something like 40 or 50 million between playing and coaching.
At what point for most people is the extended grind of the NFL still attractive versus retiring when you’re still young enough to enjoy all those millions?
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And if it is good to walk away while you still can for players (Mega-tron, Barry Sanders) then a coach doing the same thing should also be, if not applauded, then accepted.
If he retires, he will move back to houston where his family is and where he still owns a house.
Come back to Baltimore Kubs – best OC we have had and most balanced we have seen.
I know it’s not happening but would be great.
I am concerned for his health. Aside from the two incidents in recent years, every time I see him on TV he appears to be suffering. He should give up the coaching and assume some other role.
Kubiak isn’t a good coach, or at least he is no better than Mike Sannahan was. If he were worth his weight, he’d still be in Houston. Kubiak, like ole Shanny, benefitted from having Manning around, like Shanny benefited from having Elway. Take the star out of the game and they are mediocre at best. Elway got what he wanted out of Kubiak; a coach that was willing to keep his mouth shut and let Manning run the show. Now that it’s Kubiak’s turn to run things, the Donks don’t even make the playoffs. All year Kubiak has been saying how they need to establish the run game but HE is the offensive play caller and the first thing he does every time is call passing plays. Michelle Tafoya interviewed him at the halftime break a few weeks ago and she asked what they needed to do to get back in the game. Kubiak again said they needed to get the run game going to take pressure off the QB and what’s the VERY FIRST play he calls after the halftime kick off? You guessed it! A passing play.
Oh Lord, stop trying to fabricate drama. Calm down and talk to him about it after the season.
tombradycheatingscumbag says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:42 PM
Tylawspick6 you truly are a pathetic excuse for a human being
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Had you stopped there in spite of your screen name you would be surprised how many Patriots fans would agree with you. However wishing for someone else’s demise doesn’t put you much further up the evolutionary ladder.
If he walks away, he’ll have no regrets. Got to QB with Elway, coach with Elway, win a Super Bowl, earned tens of millions of $$. Spend time with your family, they come first.
If he does retire or resign I would expect the Broncos to fully go after Kyle Shanahan.
harrisonhits2 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:16 PM
Kubiak is 55 years old. He’s made something like 40 or 50 million between playing and coaching.
At what point for most people is the extended grind of the NFL still attractive versus retiring when you’re still young enough to enjoy all those millions?
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I suppose it depends on how much you love football. I can’t imagine Belichick retiring to enjoy his millions right now because I don’t think he would enjoy those millions as much as he enjoys coaching football.
Anyone else feel like the Broncos were not only outplayed, but out coached in every one of their losses this year?
Two high profile stress-induced/related incidents (that we know about as they were very public,who knows what’s going on behind the scenes), likely has his family, nevermind himself and his doctor, wondering if it’s all worth it, and/or worth waiting for the third.
Established as he his, he can be a high level consultant for the Broncos, and get away from the day to day stresses, and enjoy the time and money he’s been afforded.
Anyone who is NOT a Bronco’s fan would love if Wade became the head coach.
If the Broncos lose this Sunday, he will be Buffalo bound.
simplec72 says:
Dec 31, 2016 1:27 PM
Anyone else feel like the Broncos were not only outplayed, but out coached in every one of their losses this year?
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Sub par QB and outright bad O-line play can sure make it look that way
without a really good starting qb, kubiak knows that the end is near anyway
It’s really for the best because him and Elway being real close personal friends won’t help the boss be objective in the future, and Elway’s objectivity has been one of his better traits as the GM there.
harrisonhits2 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:17 PM
“blitzinc43 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:11 PM
As a close friend of the organization”
Lolz haven’t you made posts in the last couple weeks claiming to be “close friends” of at least a dozen of these teams?
Lol I doubt you have any connection to any of them.
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Nothing get’s by you my friend. Nicely done.
If he was going to retire he should have gone last year on a high. For 8yrs at Houston bagged a .488 record, then it all comes together with Peyton running the offense and Wade’s D peaking (and cheating, even in the SB, but mostly only getting fines, even from the SB which should have seen guys ejected). And Peyton got off with taking HGH. And the Patriots had to visit twice and were the most injured team of last year and enduring a barrage of hate thanks to fraudgate.
Denver’s D were still getting off lightly this season with fines instead of suspensions. But in 2015/16 the NFL finally brought in bio-passports stopping most PEDs and HGH. Peyton has gone, Osweiler and Siemian were busts… Another one year dynasty with Kubiak drifting back to .500 again.
Elway had to roll the dice on the offensive line to make it under the cap. Unfortunately, Stephenson and Sambraillo turned out to be a complete jokes. Elway would have been far better off to keep a serviceable Ryan Harris at RT.
Look for JE to go to Demarius Thomas for a pay cut from 14 to 10 million a year. Secondly, cutting Stephenson will save 3 million. If D-Wade retires that’s another four. Only NT Sylvester Williams, DT Vance Walker, LB Dakota Watson, and CB Kayvan Webster are of any quality as free agents and will not be big ticket re signings.
How the OL gets rebuilt once again will be the key to the Broncos success in 2017, as no QB can play behind a line with only a center of true quality.
“If Kubiak decides after “reflection and all that stuff” to leave, it will truly be his own decision. As one source with knowledge of the situation explained it to PFT, the Broncos have a high degree of fondness and affection for Kubiak and his coaching capabilities, and they want him to remain.”
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As a fan of an AFCW rival I also sincerely hope that Kubiak stays in his position. Denver is riding a 3 game losing streak, is 2-5 since the season mid-point and has only beaten 1 team with a winning record all year. I don’t see things getting better for them in 2017. In fact if Kubiak decides to stay and Wade Phillips leaves, then I fully expect that the Broncos will have earned a top 5 pick in the 2018 draft.
There is a Kubiak-Elway-Mike Shanahan-Kyle Shanahan connection. If Kubiak isn’t coaching the Broncos next year, one of the other guys on that list will be. So Kyle Shanahan is the logical choice. Elway is obviously very fond of this coaching tree. He knows it’s successful and he knows it can produce super bowl championships.
The team loat their starting QB to old age and Elway thought his defense would be stout enough to win with a “rookie” QB; however, the rest of the league caught up and the defense is no where near last year’s. He will let us know when he lets us know. The team is out of the playoffs so no newa.
I agree that Kyle Shanahan would be the favorite for the job. Elway seems to like coaches who he has a connection to.
How about Manning as the head coach? Heck the guy knew more than most of his coaches when he was playing.
To all you pats revisionist history bloviators, the league protected Brady 4 years by making Peyton travel to Foxboro to play year after year. They had to do something to level the playing field. Stop lying about good job protecting Manning the goat quarterback. Your guy isn’t even in the top 3.
tonebones says:
Dec 31, 2016 1:57 PM
There is a Kubiak-Elway-Mike Shanahan-Kyle Shanahan connection. If Kubiak isn’t coaching the Broncos next year, one of the other guys on that list will be. So Kyle Shanahan is the logical choice.
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The logical choice? Between him and his dad, and since Elway obviously wouldn’t be coaching, he’s the only choice.
John Fox was the man who built the team that won the Superbowl
Don’t forget that
John Fox was the man who built the Superbowl team
Don’t forget that
He is not head coach material
qbarrel says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:31 PM
harrisonhits2 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:17 PM
“blitzinc43 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:11 PM
As a close friend of the organization”
Lolz haven’t you made posts in the last couple weeks claiming to be “close friends” of at least a dozen of these teams?
Lol I doubt you have any connection to any of them.
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No slippin’ the fastball past you, Sparkie!
Elway the backstabber is probably communicating with Kubiak’s replacement’s agent as we speak. Remember when he gave Tebow a vote of confidence after winning a playoff game against the Steelers? Then he went out, signed Manning and traded Tebow to the Jets.
It’s not Kubiak’s fault that Elway whiffed on so many draft choices. Montee Ball, Ty Sambraillo, Schoefield, Cody Latimer, Paxton Lynch, just to name a few. It’s not Kubiak’s fault Elway didn’t address the offensive line in the off season. Should have traded for Joe Thomas at the very least. Elway is no Belichick that is for sure.
jackfan2 says:
Dec 31, 2016 2:47 PM
To all you pats revisionist history bloviators, the league protected Brady 4 years by making Peyton travel to Foxboro to play year after year.
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talk about revisionist history…the schedule is all formulated. Peyton’s Colts and Brady’s Pats met often because they both often finished 1st in their division. These match ups rotate, 3 straight match ups in Indy then the next 3 in Foxboro. There was no “protection” or favoritism. It works the same for every team.
Broncos caught a lot of breaks last year including not having to face Antonio Brown when they played Pittsburgh. The fluke Patriot loss at Miami gave them home field as well. That was the football Gods ensuring Peyton got his 2nd Super Bowl ring so he didn’t have to have Thanksgiving Dinner every year with Eli and his two rings.
Kubiak works for Elway.
Can you blame him for wanting to quit?
I say the primary target to take this job if Kubiak steps down is……Josh McDaniels. I’m gonna start that rumor right now.
John Fox didn’t build the team, Elway did. Furthermore, Kubiak and Phillips got far more out of the team than Fox and Del Rio. Fox has no heart.
8oneanddones says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:35 PM
His super bowl year was a major outlier, like the ’85 Bears. The Broncos will never have that combination of talent and luck again.
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FYI, the 86′ Bears had a better defense than the 85′ Bears, young grasshopper.
nhpats says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:22 PM
Another 1-year dynasty…..
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Like the Pat’s you mean? Pat’s didn’t win a SB until it was gifted to them after a 10 year drought, even with the best QB in football.
There’s been 1 team to appear in the SB back to back in how many years? Stop with all the “dynasty” talk, for it makes you appear ignorant. The game has changed, and it’s near impossible to repeat in todays game.
PLEASE COME BACK TO THE RAVENS!!!
I will help you pack and move!
Love watching the Donkey’s crumble. One year dynasty now on its way to a decade of mediocrity.
skawh says:
Dec 31, 2016 4:34 PM
Like the Pat’s you mean? Pat’s didn’t win a SB until it was gifted to them after a 10 year drought, even with the best QB in football.
There’s been 1 team to appear in the SB back to back in how many years? Stop with all the “dynasty” talk, for it makes you appear ignorant.
++++++++++++++++
‘Gifted to them?’
Talk about appearing ignorant. As a Pats fan I recognize the Broncos were the better team on the field in last year’s AFCCG. It’s called being an adult.
qbarrel | Dec 31, 2016, 12:31 PM EST
harrisonhits2 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:17 PM
“blitzinc43 says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:11 PM
As a close friend of the organization”
Lolz haven’t you made posts in the last couple weeks claiming to be “close friends” of at least a dozen of these teams?
Lol I doubt you have any connection to any of them.
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Sounds like you’re on to him. Congrats on breaking the case open Columbo.
12coltsfan12 | Dec 31, 2016, 12:31
He’s no Colombo…..Colombo had a brain, but then again Colombo was a bit of a gas bag like Harrison -posts-a lot …but says nada.
Kubiak needs to take mental health break if wants to stay healthy.
Denver went all in for Manning’s last hurrah and it paid of with a championship. Now it’s time to pay the piper and be mediocre for a few years.
Anyone didn’t see this coming wasn’t paying attention.
Sounds like he doesn’t want to work. It’s easier when you have an all-time great defense and a (even limited) HoF quarterback doing everything while you stand around with a headset on.
Horse teeth will have to fire his friend but they’ll call it a “resignation”
fordbw says:
Dec 31, 2016 12:25 PM
He’s a bad coach. What happened in Houston is now happening in Denver. It is an absolute disgrace that the Broncos have the NFL’s best defense and will not make the playoffs.
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except they dont have the leagues best defense – and they didnt last year either.
bunch of impostors.
As Bill Parcells famously said, “you are what your record says you are” Right now the Broncos are the third best team in the AFC West, an 8-8 squad . They have a myriad of issues, but little draft capital and zero cap space to remedy the problems.
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Wrong, Broncos have plenty of cap space for next season. One of the most. That is what happens when you don’t pay a qb and players like Wolfe, Stewart and Harris Jr take team friendly deals.
John Fox was the man who built the Superbowl team
Don’t forget that
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John Elway was the man who built the Superbowl team. Fox took a Superbowl squad and got embarrassed to the Seahawks. Don’t forget that!