The Denver Broncos have parted ways with head coach Nathaniel Hackett after a 4-11 start to the season.
Owner and CEO Greg Penner said he’ll lead the search for a new coach with assistance from GM George Paton, in whom he expressed confidence while announcing Hackett’s dismissal.
“Following extensive conversations with [general manager] George [Paton] and our ownership group, we determined a new direction would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos,” Greg Penner said in a statement.
“This change was made now out of respect for everyone involved and allows us to immediately begin the search for a new head coach.
“Moving forward, we will carefully evaluate every aspect of our football operations and make whatever changes are necessary to restore this franchise’s winning tradition,” Penner said.
Sunday’s 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams was the final straw for Hackett, who was in his first-ever job as a head coach.
The Broncos scheduled a news conference for Tuesday when they’re expected to name their interim head coach for games at Kansas City next weekend and at home against the Chargers in Week 18.
The Walton-Penner group purchased the Broncos for $4.65 billion last summer, a global record for a professional sports franchise, and Rob Walton said after the league’s approval that he aimed to make the Broncos perennial championship contenders again.
The Broncos have now missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year, the longest playoff drought since the franchise’s earliest years when it missed the playoffs between 1960 and 1976.
This season is also the fifth time the Broncos have averaged fewer than 20 points per game over the past seven years.
Hackett is the third NFL head coach fired during the 2022 season. The Carolina Panthers replaced Matt Rhule with interim head coach Steve Wilks and the Indianapolis Colts fired Frank Reich and replaced him with coaching novice Jeff Saturday.
