Broncos coaching search may be about money
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 13, 2011, 12:03 PM EST
Broncos president Joe Ellis said weeks ago that the Broncos would find the best head coach possible, regardless of money.When a player says its not about the money, it’s usually about the money. An article in the
Denver Post Thursday indicates that finances
may be playing a big factor in the Broncos search.
“Several NFL executives” contacted by the Post expected the Broncos to pay their new coach a contract close to what Ron Rivera got in Carolina: $11.2 million over four years. That makes sense, because the Broncos are still paying Mike Shanahan a lot of money and Josh McDaniels got a settlement from the team. (Paying money to coaches hardly guarantees results, as Dan Snyder will tell you.)
Most of the Broncos head coaching interviews would easily be cheap to hire, with John Fox being the possible exception. Fox made $3 million-per-win in Carolina last year.
For whatever reason, the Broncos have had some difficulties getting folks to interview with them. Finances could be one factor. Mike Mularkey, Jim Harbaugh, and Gregg Williams all turned down interviews.
“The word on the street
has not been positive about the changes in Denver’s front office,” Mike Lombardi of NFL.com wrote earlier in the week. “Having John Elway back is great for public relations, but the Broncos will need someone to help him learn on the job.”
The Broncos have been
amazingly transparent about their coaching search, but didn’t mention Williams canceling his interview on their website. The team has spread the word they hope to name a head coach by the middle of next week.