Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is expected to be among the top head coach candidates during the 2026 hiring cycle.
Coming out of the team’s bye last week, Joseph was asked about the possibility of becoming a head coach again.
“It’s flattering, but my second time through the process — or my third or fourth time through the process — I don’t think about it,” Joseph said. “I really don’t, because I know it’s about winning. And everyone wants to hire winners; they want to hire someone who’s fixed something. And [there’s] no better example than what we’ve done here the last three years.”
The Broncos are currently 10-2, and Joseph is coaching one of the best defenses in the NFL. He’s focused on finishing out the 2025 campaign before turning attention toward a potential promotion elsewhere.
“The key is to win and not worry about the process,” Joseph said. “It takes care of it[self]. It’s the Broncos’ season right now, that’s my focus, honestly. If it happens, I’ll be happy. If it doesn’t, I have a good job. I have good players, I’m in a great city. So I have no worries.”
If Denver loses Joseph to a head coach opening in 2026, the Broncos would receive a third-round compensatory draft pick in 2026 and another third-round pick in 2027 as part of the NFL’s Rooney Rule that rewards teams for developing minority coaches and executives.
Denver already has a strong in-house replacement candidate in Jim Leonhard, an overqualified defensive backs coach who has interviewed for DC jobs with NFL teams in the past. The Broncos retained Loenhard by promoting him to assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator this offseason, and he would presumably be a top candidate for the DC job if Joseph lands an HC position during the offseason.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Vance Joseph comments on 2026 head coach candidacy
