Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos have reportedly not made a decision on head coach Vic Fangio with two games remaining in the 2021 season.

"His future is firmly up in the air, according to several sources with knowledge of the situation," Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported.

Denver enters Week 17 with a 7-8 record, still with an outside shot to make the playoffs. Per Rapoport, the Broncos will need a strong finish for Fangio to make a "compelling case" to stay.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports noted the Broncos have had "internal discussions" about their coach situation, while assistants are "bracing" to look for jobs in the offseason.

If Denver does miss the playoffs, it would be the sixth straight year without a postseason appearance since winning the Super Bowl in 2016.

Fangio is 19-28 in his three years with the team and needs back-to-back wins in order to avoid a third straight losing season.

There have been some positives, most notably a defense that ranks first in the NFL in points allowed this season. It's a significant turnaround after ranking 25th in the category last year. Fangio spent 19 years as a defensive coordinator in the NFL before getting his current job, and his game-planning is clearly working on that side of the ball.

The offense has been another story as the Broncos have cycled through several quarterbacks during Fangio's tenure, including Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Lock and Joe Flacco, without finding much success.

Denver must decide if Fangio is the right man to turn things around for the Broncos in 2022 and beyond.   

The Denver Broncos will be without one of their top players on each side of the ball during Sunday's AFC West clash against the Los Angeles Chargers.

According to Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official website, head coach Vic Fangio said both wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and pass-rusher Bradley Chubb were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, meaning they won't be available Sunday.

DiLalla added that Fangio said No. 2 wideout Courtland Sutton may also be placed on the COVID list.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Broncos also announced that wide receiver Tim Patrick, cornerback Bryce Callahan, offensive tackle Bobby Massie, linebacker Jonathan Cooper, safety Caden Sterns, offensive tackle Calvin Anderson, defensive lineman Mike Purcell, cornerback Mike Ford, linebacker Andre Mintze, linebacker Stephen Weatherly and wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland were placed on the COVID list.

Denver has the lowest probability of reaching the postseason after a 17-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last week dropped it to 7-8 and 13th in the AFC playoff standings, but if the Broncos win out and receive a ton of help, it isn't impossible.

Meanwhile, the Chargers are on the brink of a berth despite a surprising loss to the Houston Texans last week that has left them with an 8-7 mark and eighth in the AFC.

The Chargers have the same record as the Miami Dolphins, Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, but the Dolphins currently hold the tiebreaker for the seventh and final playoff spot. That means the Bolts likely need to win out and get some help in order to reach the playoffs.

Los Angeles should be helped immensely by the absence of Jeudy, Chubb, Patrick and potentially Sutton as well.

Jeudy has missed six games because of injury this season, but he has been one of Denver's most productive receivers when healthy, registering 36 receptions for 437 yards, although he has yet to score a touchdown.

As a rookie last season, the first-rounder led all Broncos wideouts in receptions (52) and yardage (856), and he also had three receiving scores.

Chubb is the Broncos' best pass-rusher, but he has been ravaged by injuries this season as well, missing all but six games. He clearly hasn't been himself even when he has played with just 16 tackles and no sacks on the season.

The 25-year-old had a career-high 12 sacks as a rookie in 2018 and made his first Pro Bowl last season after posting 7.5 sacks in 14 games.

In addition to Jeudy, Denver will be without another top receiver in Patrick, who leads the team with five touchdown receptions and also has 47 grabs for 639 yards while appearing in all 15 games.

If Sutton is forced to sit out as well, the Broncos will be without their top three wide receivers. He leads Denver wideouts with 54 receptions for 703 yards and also has two touchdowns.

On top of COVID absences, Denver will likely be missing starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a second straight game because of a concussion.

That would mean a second consecutive start for Drew Lock under center.

Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told reporters Monday that he believes he and his staff deserve to return in 2022 and that he would be fine coaching in the last season of his four-year contract without an extension.

“Absolutely. That’s the direct, short answer there, absolutely," Fangio said, per Mike Klis of 9News.

The Broncos have gone just 19-28 in three seasons under Fangio, who previously worked as the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator before Denver hired him in the 2019 offseason.

This year's team is still alive in the AFC playoff picture, but at 7-8, Denver needs to win out and get a lot of help to finish with a postseason berth.

Denver's scoring defense is No. 1 in the league, but the team is just 23rd in scoring despite a talented skill position group that includes running back Javonte Williams and wideouts Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, among others.

It's certainly possible that this year could mark Fangio's last after what could be three straight losing campaigns, but the Broncos head coach said he isn't worried about his job security at the moment, per Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post.

I don’t (worry about it) and I know you think that’s a standard answer, but for a lot of reasons, I do not worry about it and those reasons are personal to me. Do I acknowledge that it’s certainly out there and (being fired) could happen? Absolutely. Do I worry about it? I absolutely don’t worry about it for many reasons.

Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis and general manager George Paton have not made a decision on the future of the team's coaching staff yet, per Klis.

Denver hasn't made the playoffs since its Super Bowl-winning 2015 campaign, but there is reason to be optimistic about the Broncos' future.

For starters, Paton nailed the 2021 draft, as Denver brought in Williams, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz and a potential seventh-round gem in Jonathon Cooper, among others.

Denver is also been snakebit in one-score games, going 1-4 this year. A win or two more in those contest would have put the Broncos in a much better position to make the playoffs.

Despite the losing record, the Broncos also have a plus-38 scoring differential, which is 13th in the league. They also have one of the more impressive wins on any team's resume this year when they went to Dallas and led the now 11-4 Cowboys 30-0 before the 30-16 victory.

Ultimately, there are enough positives for the Broncos to bring Fangio back for at least one more season and see how things go in 2022 before deciding on his staff's future fate.

For now, Denver will hope to keep its season alive when it hits the road to face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. 

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams both made references to The Last Dance heading into the 2021 NFL season.

While it's possible one or both stars winds up leaving Green Bay this offseason, Peter King of NBC Sports has an idea that could keep them together outside the greater Wisconsin area.

King delved into a scenario where the Denver Broncos fire coach Vic Fangio in favor of Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, land Adams in free agency and then trade first- and fourth-round picks in 2022 and a first-round pick in 2023 along with wideout Jerry Jeudy to the Packers for Rodgers.

While that scenario playing out exactly how King envisioned is unlikely, an Adams-Rodgers pairing in Denver cannot be discounted. The Broncos have one of the most promising young cores of skill-position players in football, making them attractive to Rodgers if he were to decide to force a trade out of Green Bay this offseason.

Green Bay seems unlikely to allow Adams to walk into free agency; he looks like a prime candidate for the franchise tag, even if the Packers' messy cap situation tries getting in the way. Adams is the type of player who can command multiple draft picks in trade talks, so even a short-term tag before trading him feels like the likelier option.

If the Broncos want to throw all their chips to the middle of the table, there are worse ways to do it than keeping Rodgers and Adams together.

Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told reporters Wednesday that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater would miss Week 16's matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders with a concussion. 

He confirmed that Bridgewater would remain the starter when healthy, however.

"Teddy's our quarterback," he said. "If he's healthy, he'll be our quarterback."

Bridgewater, 29, was carted off the field after suffering the concussion during Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was taken to the hospital and released Monday morning. 

"I just spoke to him a few minutes ago,'' Fangio said Monday. "He's been released, he's home, he's resting comfortably. He sounded a lot better this morning than he did last night. Last night he sounded real tired. This morning, and I just spoke to him, he sounded a lot better."

Bridgewater has started all 14 of the team's games, throwing for 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 66.9 percent of his passes.

The Broncos are 7-7 and firmly in the wild-card hunt. While they sit in 13th place in the AFC standings, they are just one game behind the Nos. 4-8 seeds, the Bengals Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, all at 8-6.

With Bridgewater out for a pivotal matchup against the Raiders, also 7-7, Drew Lock will return to the starting lineup. He started 13 games for the Broncos last season, throwing for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while completing just 57.3 percent of his passes. 

It wasn't a great audition for the 2019 second-round pick, as the Broncos went just 4-9 in his starts, and led to the team trading for Bridgewater. If Lock ever wants to be anything more than a backup quarterback, playing well in opportunities like the one he'll get Sunday will be key.

"I'm just going to focus on doing my job the best I can," Lock told reporters Wednesday. "When I do my job the best I can, that's the best recipe for success for this team. Not worrying about anything else—not worrying about this, not worrying about that. 'What's my job on this play?' And I want to do that to the best of my ability."

Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock will reportedly make his first start of the season on Sunday. 

Per NFL Network's James Palmer, Lock is expected to start against the Las Vegas Raiders with Teddy Bridgewater in concussion protocol. 

Bridgewater was carted off the field in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals with a head injury. 

The Broncos announced Bridgewater had movement in all of his extremities and was being taken to the hospital as a precaution. He stayed in the hospital overnight before being released on Monday and placed into concussion protocol. 

Lock took over at quarterback for the rest of the game. He finished 6-of-12 for 88 yards and one touchdown in a 15-10 defeat. 

Bridgewater has had a solid season in his first year with the Broncos. The former Pro Bowler is completing 66.9 percent of his attempts for 3,052 yards and 18 touchdowns in 14 starts. 

Denver selected Lock with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. The 25-year-old started 18 games over the previous two seasons. He threw for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions over 13 starts in 2020. 

The Broncos are part of a jumbled mess in the AFC playoff race. Their 7-7 record ranks 12th in the conference standings, but they are only one game behind the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills in the three wild-card spots. 

Denver wraps up the regular season with three straight games against AFC West opponents, starting with the Raiders this week. It will play the Chargers on Jan. 2 and Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 9.    

Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been released after the hospital after being diagnosed with a concussion after exiting Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on a stretcher.

The Broncos confirmed Bridgewater's status, saying the quarterback is "doing well" and will enter the NFL concussion protocol.

Bridgewater suffered the injury on a play where he dove for a first down after scrambling out of the pocket. He didn't move after hitting the turf.

Bridgewater was stretchered off and taken to the hospital for evaluation after the injury. 

Bridgewater briefly left Denver's 28-13 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 28 with a shin injury suffered in the first quarter. He returned to the game after halftime to help the Broncos get a crucial victory in their quest to make the playoffs.

That marked the second time this season he exited a game with an injury. He suffered a concussion in the first half against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 3 that kept him out for the rest of the contest.

The Broncos cleared Bridgewater for their next game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he has yet to miss a start this season.

Denver acquired the Louisville product from the Carolina Panthers in March. He has stabilized the Broncos offense with solid play under center, and he had thrown for 2,954 yards, 18 touchdowns and while completing 67.6 percent of his passing attempts heading into Week 15.

Drew Lock filled in for Brigewater for the remainder of the game, going 6-of-12 for 88 yards, one touchdown and zero interception. He did, however, have a costly fumble deep in Cincinnati territory early in the fourth quarter.

If Bridgewater is unable to play next Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, Lock would likely get the start. Lock had 3,953 passing yards and 23 touchdowns in 18 starts from 2019 to 2020.

Peyton Manning could be headed back to the Denver Broncos.

As part of an ownership group, that is.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the former Broncos quarterback is "very interested in a potential ownership piece in the franchise and a possible role in serving in a management position as well." Manning has already discussed a potential role with multiple groups that could end up purchasing the team.

The Broncos could change hands in the relatively near future, as La Canfora reported a formal vote on a change of ownership could happen as soon as the March league meetings.

If that happens, the new ownership group could be in place by the October ownership meetings in 2022.

The ties between Manning and the franchise are clear. His family lives in the Denver area, and he was the team's quarterback from 2012 through 2015. While he is best known for his accomplishments during his time with the Indianapolis Colts, Manning made three Pro Bowls in a Broncos uniform and remained one of the best quarterbacks in the league for a stretch.

Denver also made two Super Bowls with him under center, winning one against the Carolina Panthers and losing the other to the Seattle Seahawks.

Manning led the league in completion percentage (68.6) during his first year with the Broncos and led the league in passing yards (5,477) and passing touchdowns (55) during his second year.

La Canfora also pointed to the league-wide respect the Hall of Famer has, which could, in theory, eventually help the team land key candidates on the football operations side of things.         

Denver Broncos quarterback and impending free agent Teddy Bridgewater denied a report that he is seeking $25 million per year in a multiyear deal this coming offseason.

"I mean, it didn't come from me, so it's false, for sure," Bridgewater said when Darren McKee of The Drive on 104.3 The Fan asked him if the report was false.

"Until you hear it from me, or hear it from my camp, don't believe anything you read."

Andrew Mason of DNVR Sports provided the full quotes from Bridgewater and McKee regarding the topic:

Benjamin Allbright reported Sunday on the KOA Broncos Radio Network that Bridgewater would be looking for a contract worth $25 million per year but that he didn't believe Denver would be offering such a deal.

The 29-year-old Bridgewater has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,954 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions for the 7-6 Broncos.

The former first-rounder out of Louisville in his first year with Denver after the Carolina Panthers traded him to the Broncos for a sixth-round draft pick in April.

Bridgewater is currently 13th among all NFL signal-callers in quarterback rating and 20th in QBR, per Pro Football Reference.

On Football Outsiders, Bridgewater ranks 12th in DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement) and 11th in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).

Currently, 15 quarterbacks make $25 million or more per year, according to Over the Cap. Given the stats and advanced metrics, one could argue Bridgewater is (at worst) on the cusp of being a top-15 NFL signal-caller.

Therefore, $25 million per year may not be all that far-fetched (even if Bridgewater said the report is false), although the question is whether a team would be willing to pay that price.

For now, Bridgewater has the Broncos squarely in the playoff race as Denver looks to break a five-year slump outside the playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) are up next, and that game will kick off Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET from Denver's Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.

The Denver Broncos are going to honor Demaryius Thomas during Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions. 

Head coach Vic Fangio told reporters Friday the Broncos will have a pregame tribute video, moment of silence, helmet decal and "maybe another thing or two" to celebrate Thomas. 

Thomas, 33, died Thursday at his home. 

Speaking to Paul Newberry of the Associated Press, LaTonya Bonseigneur, Thomas' first cousin, said the family believes Thomas' death was related to seizures he had been having for over a year. 

"He had been suffering from seizures for over a year, and we believe he had a seizure when he was showering," Bonseigneur said. "He was alone and a friend couldn’t get hold of him, so he called his driver, who has a key because of these seizures, and he went into his home and found him in the shower."

Thomas is one of the best wide receivers in Broncos history. He began his career with the organization after being selected No. 22 overall in the 2010 NFL draft. 

After missing time during his first two seasons due to injuries, Thomas broke out in 2012 with 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns. It was the first of his five consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards. He also had three consecutive seasons with at least 10 touchdowns from 2012-14. 

Thomas had three 100-yard-receiving games in the postseason, including a 204-yard performance and the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2012 AFC Wild Card game. 

The Georgia Tech alum ranks second in Broncos history with 9,055 receiving yards and 60 receiving touchdowns. He also got a championship ring in 2015 when Denver defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. 

In addition to his time in Denver, Thomas had stints with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots and New York Jets. He signed a one-day contract in July to retire with the Broncos.