Gary Kubiak, Broncos Reportedly Close on Deal

John Elway appears to be turning toward his former backup in Denver to take over the Broncos vacant coaching job. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports on Sunday morning that, “Kubiak plans to take Broncos HC job if it is offered to him.” The two sides are meeting today in Houston and Schefter writes that if the sides come to an agreement it will be announced on Tuesday.

Kubiak isn’t exactly the most-inspired choice for the Broncos, despite his ties to the organization. The Texans went 61-64 in his seven-plus seasons in charge, making the playoffs twice. Houston fired him mid-2013 when the team was 2-11. It’s hard to avoid using the term “retread” when describing Kubiak, although under his watch as offensive coordinator the Ravens were eighth in points scored at 25.6 per game in 2014. Kubiak also served as an assistant on Super Bowl-winners with San Francisco and Denver in the 1990s.

The question is, how will Peyton Manning feel about the pending decision? Or how will this affect his future career plans? The status of the 39-year-old, who is due to make $19 million in 2015 has lingered since his poor finish to the 2014 regular season. Last week in a loss to the Colts in the AFC Divisional Round, Manning finished with just 4.59 yards per completion.

Even NFL.com is writing about Manning’s uncertain future, speculating that Kubiak, “does not run an offense that necessarily suits Manning’s style.” Meanwhile, Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes how he thinks Manning will be back.

Both Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas are free agents so factor that in with a new coaching staff along with an aging body and there is a lot for Manning to consider. Once the Super Bowl is over, expect Manning’s future to become the top NFL offseason story until the draft rolls around given his mass popularity, which our Jason Lisk detailed last Sunday.