The Denver Broncos defense took a major turn in 2024 with Vance Joseph as their playcaller after 2023 featured a rough start. After helping Denver’s defense turn into one of the league’s best units, there’s a chance he could depart for a head coaching job in 2025.
Denver Broncos DC Vance Joseph garnering interest from NFL teams for vacant head coaching jobs
The final week of the NFL regular season is a brutal one for many coaches who find themselves out the door amidst structural changes. There will be a handful of head coaching jobs available going into this offseason, and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has already received interest from one team about their head coaching vacancy. Will Denver lose him in this cycle?
The New York Jets have already submitted a request to interview Joseph for their vacancy. So much of the conversation surrounding Joseph will be about whether or not he wants to be a head coach again, and the belief is that he does. His first stint didn’t turn out as the head coach in Denver, but that experience could have been a useful tool, especially since his return as the Broncos defensive coordinator.
So much of it will surround whether or not a team would be a good fit for Joseph, and organizational stability will be an important factor. Joseph is a tremendous leader and has done a great job of not only transforming the Broncos’ defensive production, but players love playing for him, and the fact that another team has an interest in him is also an important factor.
“I think it’s a great sign, No. 1 for [Defensive Coordinator] Vance [Joseph],” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said. “He’s smart. He’s a great communicator. He has a very calm and I would say strong voice. His players play extremely hard for him. He’s been a great addition to our staff. My early years in New Orleans, I can recall the late [Saints Owner] Mr. [Tom] Benson came down, and we had been winning and had a number of coaches that had interview opportunities. I think one season we had three or four. He said, ‘Coach, we have a lot of interest in our coaches now. What do you think about that?’ I said, ‘Mr. Benson, we shouldn’t worry.’ I said, ‘We should only worry when there’s no interest.’ I think that trying to find and hire quality coaches that are passionate about what they’re doing—guys like Vance [with] his expertise. History has told us on a number of occasions the second experience for guys often times can be positive.”
While the Jets have submitted a formal request, that process of an interview won’t take place this week.
“From a distraction standpoint, none of that can take place until next week,” Payton said. “I’m sure all of our focus is on Buffalo. You watch the game last night, the best interview that [Lions Defensive Coordinator] Aaron Glenn could ever give was for three hours last night. There’s not one thing he can say or do to a GM or an owner that’s more impressive than that game. The same relative to Vance or these coaches that we want to see and certainly guys on our staff. I think that Vance is going to be a head coach again.”
A big performance by the Denver Broncos defense against Josh Allen and the Bills could accelerate things further for him in his quest to become a head coach again.