The Denver Broncos’ decision to fire Nathaniel Hackett on Monday brought a quick end to the worst coaching hire made last offseason. The Broncos’ 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day dropped Denver to 4-11 and into such a state of dysfunction that cameras caught guard Dalton Risner shoving backup quarterback Brett Rypien on the sideline in the third quarter.
Hackett was hired after spending three seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator, but Denver sits last in the NFL in scoring offense despite making a big and costly trade last March for quarterback Russell Wilson.
All of this could tempt Vikings’ fans to laugh at the Broncos’ misfortune, but those same fans, not to mention Vikings’ executives, should also be very thankful for the Broncos’ decision.
That’s because Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn were the other finalists for the Denver job. It was Broncos general manager George Paton, the Vikings’ longtime assistant GM under Rick Spielman, who played a major role in deciding to go with Hackett.
The Vikings interviewed the 43-year-old Hackett in mid-January, five days before conducting their first interview with O’Connell. Hackett also had received interest from the Bears and Jaguars. Chad Graff, who was covering the Vikings for The Athletic at the time, tweeted this:
The Vikings were very impressed by Nathaniel Hackett during his interview, but the Broncos were able to make him an offer before the Vikings decided on finalists. So the Packers OC heads west (perhaps making Denver especially alluring for a certain QB). https://t.co/OpiK0A25le
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) January 27, 2022
The Broncos hired Hackett on Jan. 27. Vikings officials traveled to Los Angeles to conduct a second interview with O’Connell, then the Rams’ offensive coordinator, on Jan. 31. O’Connell officially was named the Vikings’ coach in mid-February, following the Rams’ victory over the Bengals in the Super Bowl.
The Rams’ run to the Super Bowl clearly played a significant role in Denver moving on one of the hottest names in the coaching pool. The Vikings and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who also had interviewed Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, showed that patience pays off.
Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who is the Broncos’ president of football operations, told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press in October that Denver liked O’Connell.
“We interviewed him last year, and we were really, really impressed with his interview, so it does not surprise me that he’s having good success up there,” Elway said of O’Connell. “He was very, very impressive in the interview process, and it was nip and tuck which way we wanted to go. So I was glad to see that he got an opportunity, and I’m glad to see he’s having the success he’s having because he gave a great interview with us.”
O’Connell, 37, has had a better first season than anyone could have expected. He’s helped turn Kirk Cousins into the NFL’s best clutch quarterback and has led the Vikings (12-3) to the NFC North title and put them in a position to grab the second seed in the conference. Vikings players have rallied around O’Connell, winning an NFL record 11 one-score games, and have put him in the NFL coach of the year conversation.
The Broncos, meanwhile, will begin a search for a coach under new ownership that has to be wondering what Paton and Elway were thinking in hiring a guy whose inability to manage the clock was so poor that a coach had to be added in September to help with game management.
“I think the system coming out from in L.A., being with the Rams, and what he learned out there, obviously he’s taken that, and I’m sure he’s putting in his own wrinkles to it,” Elway told the Pioneer Press at a time the Vikings were 4-1 and the Broncos were 2-3. “But I think he’s grown up under a great base of coaching, especially offensive-minded coaches, to where he’s now taken it up there, and obviously it’s working for Kirk. That’s the key thing.”
Could it have worked in Denver? The Vikings are very fortunate the Broncos elected not to try and find out.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com