Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has built a strong case for another shot as a head coach, and several coaches around the league have said as much out loud.
Joseph is a former head coach already, and his work in Denver has only strengthened his résumé. The Broncos’ staff is widely viewed as one of the league’s best, and Joseph sits right at the center of that. Still, he hasn’t landed another head coaching opportunity, even as peers insist he should.
At the NFL owners’ meetings in March, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles made that point bluntly in comments reported by Luca Evans of the Denver Post.
“The success he’s had the last couple years in Denver, having the defense like he’s had, and building the credibility, credentials that he’s had - not to get a shot or another shot, is unbelievable to me,” said Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters at the NFL owners’ meetings in March in a report written by Luca Evans of the Denver Post. “So, something has to be fixed.”
Joseph did not support Evans’ story and did not agree to be interviewed for it. He has said he’s fine without another head coaching job, though that’s an easy line to say while working under current head coach Sean Payton and keeping the focus on the Broncos.
Back in June, Joseph said, “My focus now is to get back in position, and that’s winning games for the Broncos and being a great defense again. It’s a process that is different every single year.
I can’t be concerned about the outcomes. Just keep pushing forward, winning games and being in position to interview.”
Another coach who has publicly backed Joseph is Leslie Frazier, the Seattle Seahawks’ assistant head coach and a former head coach with the Minnesota Vikings.
“I’m not an owner, not a general manager,” Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier said during Super Bowl Week in San Francisco. . “But how does that happen?
I just don’t get it. His resume should speak for itself.
Disappointed. I hope that things will change.
“But when there are 10 jobs, and there’s not one Black coach who anyone feels is qualified or capable of leading their team - just makes me scratch my head. It’s just disappointing.”
The NFL has long talked about improving minority hiring, but the numbers remain ugly. Just three Black head coaches are set to lead teams into the 2026 season.
Former Browns head coach Hue Jackson put it plainly: “There’s not many of them anywhere,” said former Browns head coach Hue Jackson. “And the numbers get worse. The numbers are as bad as it’s ever been, now.”
For Joseph, the conversation keeps circling back to the same place: his work, his reputation, and the fact that plenty of coaches around the league believe he’s earned another chance.
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