Denver Broncos to hire Nathaniel Hackett as new head coach, sources say

The Denver Broncos are going to hire the Green Bay Packers offensive coach, Nathaniel Hackett, to be their new head coach, according to sources.

The Broncos stepped in Wednesday night to prevent him from going to Jacksonville, after he was scheduled to interview with the Jags on Thursday.

The team has had four different coaches since the start of the 2016 season, and it will be Hackett's first time as a head coach. Fangio was fired this month after the team lost its fifth consecutive season.

The news was reported by the NFL Network.

Prior to his time with the Packers, Hackett was a play caller for both Buffalo and Jacksonville.

He had to detail how he would make the transition to running the entire team and the construction of the defensive staff during his interviews with Denver. If he was going to try to call plays, he had to answer how he would keep his game day organized.

The Broncos have about $50 million worth of salary-cap space projected by general manager George Paton and 11 picks already in hand for the April draft.

He was the quarterbacks coach from 2015 to 2016 and the offensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018, but he was fired in the middle of the season. The Jaguars made it to the playoffs in the last season of their existence.

When his father, Paul, was on the Kansas City Chiefs staff, he was a ball boy for the team and even filled in as a long-snapper at times. Packers quarterback Rodgers has praised the preparation and ability of Hackett to break down and deliver information to players.

The only Broncos head coaches who have taken the team to the playoffs are Mike Shanahan, John Fox and Gary Kubiak. None of the three first-time head coaches made it past three seasons.

The Broncos defense finished among the league's top 10 in most major categories, and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw for a career-best 18 touchdown despite missing the final three games with a concussion.

Fangio went 19-30 in his three years on the job because of Denver's inconsistent special teams play.

Since Week 13 of the 2016 season, the Broncos have had at least 10 different quarterbacks start at least one game.

The report was contributed to by two people.