The Denver Broncos came up just short of a Super Bowl berth, falling to the New England Patriots in a hard-fought AFC Championship Game. With starting quarterback Bo Nix sidelined, Denver’s offense struggled to find rhythm or firepower.
But the defense? That unit showed up in a big way, holding a surging Patriots offense to just 10 points and giving the Broncos every chance to steal the win.
That performance was no fluke. Denver finished the 2025 season with the league’s second-ranked defense, a testament to the work of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. And now, Joseph’s resurgence in Denver may be setting the stage for his next big opportunity.
While nothing has been made official yet, linebacker Jonathon Cooper may have tipped the Broncos’ hand in a postgame interview. “He’s the best DC I’ve had, you know,” Cooper said.
“And I’m happy that he’s… um, I don’t know exactly what to say ‘cause I don’t know all that he’s said. But he’s a great coach.”
It wasn’t exactly a confirmation, but it sure felt like a player trying not to spoil an announcement that’s coming soon.
Joseph has been a hot name in this year’s coaching cycle. He interviewed for several head coaching jobs, including Baltimore, New York (Giants), and Tennessee.
But those teams have already made their hires-Jesse Minter in Baltimore, John Harbaugh in New York, and Robert Saleh in Tennessee. That leaves a few vacancies still on the board: Buffalo, Las Vegas, Cleveland-and notably, Arizona.
The Cardinals job might be the most natural fit. Joseph knows the organization well, having served as Arizona’s defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022. His familiarity with the franchise, combined with his recent success in Denver, makes him a logical candidate to take over a team that’s looking to reset after a rocky three-year stretch under Jonathan Gannon.
Joseph’s coaching résumé has come full circle. He got his first head coaching opportunity with the Broncos back in 2017.
That stint was rocky, but his return to Denver as defensive coordinator has been a redemption arc. In 2023, his first year back, the Broncos' defense ranked 29th in the league.
One year later, they jumped to seventh. This season, they finished second overall.
That kind of turnaround doesn’t happen by accident-it’s the product of a coach with a clear vision and the ability to execute it.
If Cooper’s comments are any indication, Joseph could be days away from getting his second shot as an NFL head coach-this time, potentially with the Cardinals.
And if Joseph does move on, Denver’s coaching staff could be in for a shakeup. Quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard are also drawing interest across the league. After a season where the defense carried the load and helped the Broncos punch above their weight, it’s no surprise that other teams are looking to poach pieces of that formula.
The Broncos may have fallen just short of the Super Bowl, but their defensive identity-and the man behind it-are clearly in high demand.