Vance Joseph is finally talking about the head-coaching buzz heâs been trying to ignore. After guiding the Denver Broncos to a 9-2 start and a sack-chasing defense, the longtime coordinator broke his silence on NFL interest, praise from Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips, and what he really wants next.
The Broncos’ resurgence has turned Joseph, now in his third season back as Denverâs defensive coordinator, into one of the hottest names in the upcoming head-coaching cycle. Local reporting has already framed him as perhaps the top candidate to land an NFL job this offseason.
Joseph is doing it in the same building where he went 11-21 in his first stint as Broncos head coach from 2017-18, a tenure cut short before he felt the turnaround was complete. Reporters asked Joseph about his name being floated as a head coaching candidate in a recent press scrum.
Broncos Legends Push for Joseph to Get Another Shot
Kubiak, who worked with Joseph in Houston and once tried to bring him to Denver as a defensive coordinator, told the Denver Gazette that Joseph has âstood the test of timeâ and only gets better with more experience. Phillips, a Super Bowlâwinning defensive coordinator in Denver and one of Josephâs key mentors, said Joseph has âcertainly earnedâ another opportunity, praising both his leadership and his ability to maximize playersâ strengths.
Theyâre not saying it in a vacuum. Under Joseph, Denverâs defense climbed into the leagueâs top tier last season, finishing third in scoring defense and seventh in total defense. This yearâs group has taken another step, not only ranking near the top of the league but also chasing sack history; one recent analysis noted that Josephâs unit is on pace to threaten the 1984 Chicago Bearsâ single-season sack record.
Combine that with the Broncosâ eight-game winning streak and push for the AFCâs top playoff seed, and Joseph fits the profile owners usually chase: a coordinator from a winning team, backed by respected voices around the league.
Joseph Says Focus Is on Broncos, Not Interviews
Asked about Kubiak and Phillips publicly stumping for him and people calling him a âhotâ candidate, Joseph didnât bite on the speculation. In the session, he called the praise âcoolâ and âflatteringâ but emphasized that âthe job is the job,â and right now that job is running the Broncos defense.
Joseph said heâs been through the hiring process multiple times and no longer spends energy worrying about where he might land. Instead, he framed head-coaching buzz as a byproduct of winning, saying teams want to hire âwinnersâ and people who have âfixed something,” and pointed directly to what Denver has done over the past three years alongside Sean Payton as an example.
He credited Payton with helping him learn how to âfix a team,â from culture to scheme, and made it clear his focus is on the current Broncos season and chasing a championship. If another head-coaching opportunity comes, Joseph said heâll be happy; if it doesnât, he noted he already has a good job, good players and a situation he enjoys in Denver.
Why NFL Teams Will Keep Calling
Josephâs resume now looks very different from the one he carried into his first head-coaching stint. After leaving Denver the first time, he rebuilt his reputation as Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator, helping that unit climb into the top 10 in scoring defense.
Back in Denver, he survived early criticism â including the 70-20 loss to Miami in 2023 â and helped turn the Broncos into a playoff team for the first time since their Super Bowl 50 run. National outlets have since listed him among the top coordinators likely to get interviews, and he already met with teams like the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders after last season before returning to Denver.
Now heâs leading a defense thatâs dominating in every major category for a 9-2 contender while former Super Bowlâwinning coaches publicly vouch for him. Whether or not Joseph lands a second shot as an NFL head coach this offseason, his work in Denver has already made the case â and heâs betting that if the Broncos keep winning, the rest will take care of itself.
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