The first season of Nathaniel Hackett’s tenure in Denver will be his last, with the news that the Denver Broncos have fired the rookie head coach just 15 games into his tenure following an embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Hackett and the Broncos lost 51-14 to the Rams on Christmas Day, and the Broncos’ sideline imploded when offensive lineman Dalton Risner and backup quarterback Brett Rypien were seen getting into a physical altercation at one point.
Hackett isn’t the only person to blame for Denver’s disastrous season. Star quarterback Russell Wilson has been downright awful this season after the Broncos traded two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and a fifth-round pick, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, and Drew Lock, to the Seahawks for Wilson. Denver then gave Wilson a four-year extension worth $140 million to add insult to injury.
Wilson threw three interceptions on Sunday and has just 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions this season for the Broncos and a passer rating of 82.6.
Here’s what the Broncos had to say about the decision to move on from Hackett:
UPDATE: According to Adam Schefter, the Broncos will promote senior assistant Jerry Rosburg to interim head coach for the final two games of the season: