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It ends the shortest tenure of any non-interim head coach in
franchise history.
Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner released a statement thanking
Hackett for his efforts.
"Following extensive conversations with (general manager) George
(Paton) and our ownership group, we determined a new direction
would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos," Penner
said. "This change was made now out of respect for everyone
involved and allows us to immediately begin the search for a new
head coach."
The team named senior assistant Jerry Rosburg interim head coach
later Monday.
Rosburg, 67, was hired by Hackett during the season to aid him
in clock management strategy. 9News in Denver reported the
Broncos first offered the interim post to defensive coordinator
Ejiro Evero but he declined, preferring to focus on the defense.
Evero is expected to be a candidate for the permanent post as
well as a head coaching candidate elsewhere.
Hackett, 43, was hired on Jan. 27 to replace Vic Fangio after
spending the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator
of the Green Bay Packers. He was also the offensive coordinator
for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2016-18) and Buffalo Bills
(2013-14).
The first-time head coach couldn't get anything out of the
Denver offense this season despite the team's costly acquisition
of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson.
A nine-time Pro Bowl selection with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson
is 3-10 as a starter this season and has completed a career-low
60.1 percent of his passes for 3,019 yards with just 12
touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Wilson threw three interceptions in Sunday's loss to the Rams.
The Broncos signed Wilson to a five-year, $245 million contract
extension with $165 million guaranteed before the start of the
season. That was after trading tight end Noah Fant, defensive
tackle Shelby Harris, quarterback Drew Lock, first-round picks
in 2022 and 2023, second-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a 2022
fifth-rounder to Seattle.
The Broncos rank last in the NFL in scoring with just 15.5
points per game.
"We recognize and appreciate this organization's championship
history, and we understand we have not met that standard,"
Penner said in his statement. "Our fans deserve much better, and
I can't say enough about their loyalty during such a challenging
stretch for our team.
"Moving forward, we will carefully evaluate every aspect of our
football operations and make whatever changes are necessary to
restore this franchise's winning tradition."
Penner said he will lead the head coaching search with support
from Paton and the ownership group.
Hackett is the son of former NFL offensive coordinator and
college coach Paul Hackett, who served as head coach of Pitt and
Southern California.
He is the third NFL head coach fired during this season, joining
Frank Reich (Indianapolis Colts) and Matt Rhule (Carolina
Panthers).
Hackett is only the fifth head coach since the 1970 NFL/AFL
merger to be fired during his first season. The others were
Urban Meyer (Jacksonville Jaguars) in 2021, Bobby Petrino
(Atlanta Falcons) in 2007, Pete McCulley (San Francisco 49ers)
in 1978 and Lou Holtz (New York Jets) in 1976, according to
ESPN.
--Field Level Media
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