Are the Broncos looking for a Packers combo in their coaching search?

The Denver Broncos are searching for a new head coach. General manager George Paton is leading the charge to find a new head coach for the team – and a new direction for the franchise.

He has put together a list of 10 head coaching candidates so far. On that list are two coaches from the Green Bay Packers – Nathaniel Hackett and Luke Getsy. Hackett is the offensive coordinator of the Packers with an NFL coaching career that started 16 years ago. Getsy is a former player (undrafted in 2007) who started coaching in the NFL back in 2014.

Coming up this weekend, Paton is going to be interviewing both Packers coaches. It’s an interesting move to look up two coaches from the same staff. However, there might be reasons behind that, and I thought it was worth an examination.

Paton-led HC search committee interview schedule:
Thursday: Aaron Glenn, Detroit
Friday: Nathaniel Hackett,GB
Saturday: Luke Getsy, GB#9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) January 12, 2022

Either one could end up as the head coach of the Broncos, but is there a chance they’ll try to hire both? Are the Broncos looking to double up with Packers coaches? Let’s take a look.

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Hackett is Hot

There is no doubt that Hackett is a hot head coaching candidate. In fact, he might be the hottest name out there in coaching circles. Hackett is the son of long-time NFL coach Paul Hackett, a well-respected coach who helped perfect the West Coast offense under its creator Bill Walsh. He grew up in the NFL, and now he’s ready to be a head coach in the league.

Hackett has built interest as a potential head coach, but he’s only interviewed once for the top spot (2021 Atlanta Falcons). This year, the Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears want to interview him during the Packers bye week for their head coaching vacancy.

Hackett has worked well with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In fact, reporters around the Packers say that Rodgers loves Hackett and the two “get” each other. Obviously, the Broncos need to upgrade the quarterback position and Rodgers could be their top target after missing out on him last year. Rodgers is a beat-of-a-different drum type of guy and so is Hackett. Both love football and both are committed to doing whatever it takes to win. Hackett brings a ton of energy to the sidelines, and Rodgers responds to his coaching style.

There are rumblings that Hackett, knowing he was going to be a head coaching candidate, has worked to assemble a potential staff behind the scenes. This type of move is not uncommon in the NFL, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Hackett knew who he’d take with him if he were to be hired as a head coach. Would that staff include Getsy as an offensive coordinator?

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The Great Getsy?

So, who is Luke Getsy and why is he on the list of prospective head coaches for the Broncos? Well, he’s only been a pro coach with the Packers, but that’s not his only coaching experience. Now, Getsy is the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Packers. In his past, he’s worked as an offensive coordinator with two college teams (West Virginia Wesleyan / Mississippi State) in addition to working for the Packers as a quality control coach and wide receivers coach.

Like Hackett, Rodgers loves Getsy and the two have a mutual respect after working together in one of the top offenses in the league. A former quarterback (from the legendary prep level of western Pennsylvania), Getsy knows the position and the pressures involved with playing the position. Getsy has worked closely with Rodgers for years, and he knows what the veteran passer likes and what he doesn’t like. This type of relationship with Rodgers must be intriguing to the Broncos because of their interest in the superstar quarterback.

So, are the Broncos interested in Getsy to be their head coach or would he get a promotion to offensive coordinator under Hackett in Denver? Or are the Broncos interviewing Getsy to get more intel on Hackett? Both could be true, but I think the Broncos are interested in Getsy as an OC and Hackett as their HC. It may seem a bit unusual to Broncos fans, but this is something the team has done before – and it wasn’t that long ago that they hired two men from the same head coaching search.

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Do It Again

Last time the Broncos needed a head coach, their search was not as exhaustive as this one is. They interviewed five men for the job: Vic Fangio, Mike Munchak, Brian Flores, Zac Taylor and Chuck Pagano. That’s a strong group of coaches, and three of them (Fangio, Flores, Taylor) went to be head coaches that year.

Notice on the list the Broncos hired two of those five coaches, Fangio as the head coach and Munchak as the offensive line coach. The Broncos wanted to make the move to hire Fangio for his world-class defense, but they didn’t want to let Munchak go because of his tremendous work as an offensive line coach. They were able to hire Fangio as head coach, but the Broncos were also able to convince Munchak that he needed to come to Denver as well.

Could the Broncos be lining up the same thing this year with Hackett and Getsy? There’s a chance that happens, and it should not come as a surprise if the Broncos are looking for a Packers combo in 2022. If that happens, we’ll have to see if it’s enough to lure Rodgers after the Super Bowl.

Follow @CecilLammey