Broncos president Joe Ellis, who coordinates the budgets on all things Broncos for team owner Pat Bowlen, has said money won't the guiding principle in hiring a new head coach, that the Broncos will try to get the best man for the job, no matter the cost. Still, the buzz around the NFL is that the Broncos, with $3.5 million committed to Mike Shanahan this year and with a multimillion-dollar settlement having been paid to Josh McDaniels, aren't looking to be in the high-rent district to pay their next head coach. Several NFL team executives contacted this week expected the Broncos to be more in line with what Carolina is going to pay Ron Rivera,John Fox's successor. Rivera was a longtime coordinator in the NFL who had never been a head coach in the league. The Panthers signed Rivera to a four-year contract worth about $11.2 million, less than half the money per season coaches such as Shanahan, Bill Belichick, Jeff Fisher and Pete Carroll will earn. Source: Denver Post
I'd like to see John Fox get this job, although money could be an issue. They need someone to retool the defense. I could see Rick Dennison more as the Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator rather than as Head Coach.
Why would they still owe Shanahan money if he is coaching somewhere else? I understand if wasn't coaching anywhere or had to take a lesser position, but he isn't.
