Grading NFL head-coach hires in 2022: Kevin O'Connell to Vikings, Dennis Allen to Saints, Lovie Smith to Texans, more

The NFL head-coaching carousel began quickly for the 2021 cycle, with nine jobs coming open, including two during the regular season following the firing of Urban Meyer by the Jacksonville Jaguars and the resignation of Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden.

The other six teams that fired their head coaches were the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. Then the New Orleans Saints' job opened when Sean Payton decided to retire. It was expected to be a quieter-than-usual cycle, but having nine openings tops last year's seven, and two of the teams -- Jacksonville and Houston -- were looking for coaches in the 2021 cycle as well.

The Broncos were the first to hire a new coach for this cycle, choosing Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Soon after, the Bears made their hire, bringing aboard Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Then the Giants opted for Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and the Raiders picked New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

The fifth hire is the Jaguars adding former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson. The sixth hire is the Dolphins making a move for San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. Nos. 7 and 8 came on Feb. 7, as the Texans and Saints made their decisions. The final hire was by the Vikings, who are adding Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell.

How did they fare with the hires? We asked ESPN national NFL writers Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler to discuss the moves and give their grades.

Jump to: Broncos | Bears
Giants | Raiders | Jaguars
Dolphins | Texans | Saints | Vikings

See more: Tracking every coach hiring

Kevin O'Connell to the Vikings

NFL background: Offensive coordinator for the Rams (2020-21); offensive coordinator (2019) and quarterbacks coach (2017-18) for Washington; NFL quarterback (2008-2012)

Fowler: O'Connell, 36, was considered the most impressive candidate from the first round of interviews, and he kept up his momentum during the in-person interview. So, really, after the Jim Harbaugh theatrics, the Vikings' search landed where it started. O'Connell's knowledge of the Vikings' scheme, personnel and his overall presence impressed the team. He came across as well-prepared, with an answer for everything thrown their way. The Vikings wanted a young, up-and-coming coach. They feel that way about O'Connell, who has the right demeanor for the job.

Graziano: Yeah, O'Connell's name is one we've heard a bunch in recent years as an up-and-comer, and being the Rams' offensive coordinator under Sean McVay sure isn't a bad way to go if you want to become a head coach. O'Connell will be the fourth former McVay assistant to be a head coach in the NFL, joining the Packers' Matt LaFleur, the Bengals' Zac Taylor and the Chargers' Brandon Staley. Staley just went 9-8 in his first year as coach of the Chargers, LaFleur has won more games (39) in his first three seasons than any coach in history, and Taylor just took the Bengals to the Super Bowl (against McVay). What's even more amazing is that the 36-year-old McVay is still younger than all of these guys.

Fowler: My understanding is that O'Connell, like most coaches who interviewed, believes he can win with Kirk Cousins, who is largely considered to be a top-16 quarterback in the league. What Cousins does on the field isn't the only factor in his future outlook -- there's a $45-million cap hit attached to the last year of his deal. But having Cousins for a season gives O'Connell footing early on the job. This is a good roster, one capable of making the playoffs. The Vikings will want to help O'Connell get there in Year 1, and they're bringing in a veteran defensive coordinator to ease the process.

Graziano: O'Connell overlapped with Cousins for a season in Washington, so the two are familiar with each other. And Cousins surely will be familiar with the offense. But that can't be the main reason for the hire, because Cousins just has the one year left on his deal, as you mention, and O'Connell's ideally going to be the coach that oversees the transition to whatever's next at quarterback for the Vikings.

I agree that Minnesota's roster is playoff-ready, much like the one Staley inherited a year ago with the Chargers. The Vikings see in O'Connell a strong young leader ready to establish himself right away the way McVay did once upon a time, and he and first-time general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will get a chance to establish their vision for the future of the organization together.

Grades for Minnesota hiring O'Connell

Fowler: A-. Consider the fit. O'Connell is a change of pace from Mike Zimmer, a really good coach and tough personality who grated on the locker room toward the end. O'Connell should be able to handle player relations while boosting an offense that hasn't had an offensive head coach since Brad Childress in 2010. Minnesota was looking for leadership qualities above all else, and the consensus was O'Connell has those, even if he might be "a year away," a phrase used often with young head-coaching candidates, due to lack of experience. The Vikings are OK with that.

Graziano: B+. Again, grading down a bit due to lack of experience. As was the case with Chicago, I'm a little leery of pairing a first-time head coach with a first-time GM. But I've never heard anything but good stuff about O'Connell as a coach, and a lot of people would have to be wrong about him for him to be a flop.

Dennis Allen to the Saints

NFL background: Defensive coordinator (2015-2021) for the Saints; head coach for the Raiders (2012-14); defensive coordinator for the Broncos (2011)

Fowler: Allen's hire signifies the state of the Saints. They are still too good to blow it all up and rebuild, with high-level talent on both sides of the ball, give or take a few positions. This is their way of keeping the band back together. Allen was the favorite to get the job after Sean Payton stepped away, and he did nothing to lose the job. His players seem to respond to him, and he has been an underplayed name in past cycles. It was his time. Dan, how did the Saints' success under Payton affect the team's direction here?

Graziano: The Saints wanted someone who was familiar with the way they operate and, preferably, someone who had NFL head-coaching experience. Allen has been the Saints' defensive coordinator since 2015, and prior to that he spent three years as the Raiders' coach. (He also served on the Saints coaching staff from 2006-10.) They talked to Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, a rising star and likely future head coach who was one of Allen's assistants before he left for Detroit last se, but it never felt likely that they'd bring back Glenn and put him over his former boss.

They talked to Brian Flores, but the lawsuit he filed against the league last week impacted his chances of getting a job, as he has said he imagined he would. And then on Sunday, they brought in Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who finds himself shut out of yet another cycle. Allen was the favorite all along, and I'm guessing his success as Saints coach will depend on (a) what their solution is at quarterback and (b) how much he has learned in the seven years since his stint with the Raiders.

Fowler: Well, Allen's three-year run in Oakland couldn't have gone much worse (8-28), but the Saints' culture and established winning will help him, and he should be more equipped to handle the rigors of the head job this time around. Much of the staff is already in place, and Allen has a prime in-house candidate for defensive coordinator in assistant head coach/defensive line Ryan Nielsen. Secondary coach Kris Richard is also a strong option.

Graziano: The quarterback question is the big one for me. I'm expecting the Saints to continue the continuity theme on offense, possibly by putting Pete Carmichael in charge of the offense. But that won't matter much if they can't get quarterback squared away. There also are significant questions about the wide receiver corps, starting with whether Michael Thomas will return to be a part of it. And unfortunately, after his incident in Las Vegas over the weekend, there are questions about Alvin Kamara now too. I expect the Saints' defense to be strong, but they have to basically put together an offense. Payton was the center of this team's universe for a long time, and his ability to design and call plays a major part of their success. With Allen in the big chair now, the way the team operates will change significantly.

Grades for New Orleans hiring Allen

Fowler: B-. Not the splashiest hire, but I understand the Saints' logic. They've had a good thing going for a long time. And I'm guessing Payton had influence on this move. Allen has something to prove as a head coach.

Graziano: C. Allen was not a successful NFL head coach the first time. He went 4-12 in each of his first two seasons in Oakland and then 0-4 in 2014 before they fired him. Is it possible he'll do better this time? Sure. It's been a long time, and learning under Payton must have helped a little bit. But while I get the desire for continuity, I wonder if the Saints will regret not going in a more daring direction here.

Lovie Smith to the Texans

NFL background: Associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Texans (2021); head coach at Illinois (2016-20); head coach for the Bucs (2014-15); head coach for the Bears (2004-2012)

Fowler: I mean ... there are two-dozen good young coaches deserving of an opportunity. All respect to Smith, who won more games than he lost over 11 NFL seasons as a coach at two different stops. That's hard to do and should be commended. But this search was unorganized from the start, and it got an unorganized result.

Graziano: Look: I don't think we're out of line here if we say this very clearly was not the plan when this process got going. The Texans fired 66-year-old David Culley after one impossible-circumstances season, interviewed a bunch of people to replace him, seemed very strongly to want to give the job to Josh McCown and then pivoted literally this weekend to the 63-year-old Smith, who was there all along as Culley's defensive coordinator and could have been hired the week they fired Culley if they'd wanted him.

Now, all of that said: I think the Texans might have stumbled onto something here. Smith is a good coach! He has a 92-90 record in the NF (counting the playoffs). He has five winning seasons, four double-digit win seasons and he has coached in a Super Bowl. That's a stronger résumé than the vast majority of candidates had this cycle.

Fowler: That is true. But by that logic, Brian Billick should be a hot name, too. He's not, because windows pass. Whether Smith does a respectable job in Houston isn't the point. What's baffling is the Texans paid Culley millions to go away, only to hire his coordinator, while the guy they likely wanted to hire (McCown) interviewed three times over two years. General manager Nick Caserio keeps em' guessing.

Graziano: I think the big question here is: Will the Texans give Smith more time than Culley got? They do not appear set up to have a strong season in 2022. They still don't know who the quarterback is going to be (and no, I don't think there's any chance it's Deshaun Watson), and the roster needs a ton of work. Are we looking at a situation here they repeat the Culley move a year from now with Smith and finally hand the job to McCown? If I were Smith, that would be my first and biggest question, and I'd certainly want high-level financial guarantees in my contract to guard against that possibility.

Grades for Houston hiring Smith

Fowler: C. My respect for Smith can't get me higher than the C range here. This is an uninspired hire. In back-to-back cycles, Caserio had a chance to infuse excitement into a struggling franchise and failed to do it.

Graziano: B+. I know it's not the most exciting hire, and I'm sure Texans fans aren't doing cartwheels over it. But again, this guy can coach, and he has done it in the NFL. The circumstances around him may rob him of a real chance to succeed in his third NFL stint, but I'm not holding that against him as I grade the hire.

Again, the Texans might have fallen backward into a better choice than they were inclined to make in the first place. He might not be a long-term solution, but he's likely to help the 2022 Texans more than some of the other candidates would have.

Mike McDaniel to the Dolphins

NFL background: Offensive coordinator (2021) and run game coordinator (2017-20) for the 49ers; offensive assistant for the Falcons (2015-16); wide receivers coach for Browns (2014) and Washington (2013)

Fowler: The Dolphins could have gone for more experience, but McDaniel commanded the interview process from the beginning. He illustrated why he excels in player development. His authenticity resonated with his players and coaches. His game plans are incredibly detailed and creative. Look, it's next to impossible to know how this will really shake out -- especially with questions still surrounding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa -- but when it comes to winning the interview, McDaniel outlined why he can succeed.

Graziano: If you've spent time around the 49ers the past few years, you've been told that McDaniel was a significant part of the offense's design and game-day execution. He's regarded as a highly intelligent, nimble-minded offensive football guru. With Mike LaFleur having left last year to be Jets offensive coordinator and now McDaniel leaving, Kyle Shanahan will be without the offensive brain trust that helped propel the 49ers to the Super Bowl two years ago.

The Dolphins are getting a bright football mind and a coach who seemed to make a strong impression on players and fellow coaches during his time in San Francisco. The next question is whether McDaniel will be tasked with building up Tagovailoa or whether the Dolphins will continue to pursue upgrades at quarterback. The answers will go a long way toward determining McDaniel's success in his new job.

Fowler: Yeah, Dan, that's question Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Developing Tagovailoa and providing stability will be key. He will most likely work with his third coordinator in as many years, with many other changes along the way. McDaniel needs to streamline the process for his quarterback, accentuating his strengths and unlocking whatever might hold him back. But McDaniel walks into a good situation with a strong defensive core, and there's talent on both sides of the ball. Anyone from the Shanahan tree will tell you McDaniel can make this offense work.

Graziano: This being the first minority coach hiring of the cycle (McDaniel is biracial), the 49ers will get third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two drafts. Those picks don't come from the Dolphins; they are additional picks added to the draft. The Niners already had extra compensatory picks last year and this year as a result of last year's hiring of Robert Saleh as Jets coach and Martin Mayhew as Washington's general manager.

Grades for Miami hiring McDaniel

Fowler: B+. This might be the most intriguing hire of the cycle. Trying a different approach with a smart, young coach can pay off, despite the inherent risks. His personality is known as quirky, to be sure, but players can respond to that. They just want to be put in the best positions to succeed. Let's see whether he can handle that.

Graziano: B+. Going to stick with my policy of withholding "A" grades for any hire who doesn't have prior head-coach experience, because honestly we have no idea if these guys can do this job until we see it. But I've never heard anything about McDaniel that makes me doubt his capabilities. Hence the "+."

Doug Pederson to the Jaguars

NFL background: Head coach of the Eagles (2016-20); offensive coordinator for the Chiefs (2013-15); assistant coach for the Eagles (2009-12); longtime backup NFL quarterback (1991-2004)

Graziano: Fascinating journey, this Jaguars coaching search. Pederson was the first candidate to interview for this job, back in December. At the time, from what I was told, he was a little bit concerned about the front office structure, the team's decision-making process and in general, the fact that they've managed to lose 119 games in the 10 years since Shad Khan bought the team despite employing a large number of different coaches and executives in that time. Since the process started, various people close to the situation have thought Jim Caldwell, Bill O'Brien, Matt Eberflus and Byron Leftwich were the favorites to land the job. For various reasons, none of them did, and they landed back where they started, with Pederson.

I'm curious to see what other announcements the Jaguars have in the coming days/weeks about front office structure. I know they were talking to former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman about an executive VP position, and part of me thinks Pederson has been told about specific things that will change there in order to convince him to take the job.

Fowler: Pederson's qualifications certainly aren't the issue. A Super Bowl winner with three postseason appearances in five seasons with Philadelphia, he can be an adult in the room that Jacksonville so desperately needs. He brings a proven track record with quarterbacks, getting the most out of Carson Wentz, Nick Foles and Jalen Hurts.

Second-year signal-caller Trevor Lawrence is the priority and Pederson will guide him. He's a good communicator. But the Jaguars could have hired Pederson a month ago. The oddest search of the cycle comes to a clumsy end. Pederson was among Jacksonville's strongest candidates, even if Leftwich looked like the early favorite.

Graziano: Whoever succeeded Urban Meyer was going to be in a position to look good. Pederson's experience should allow him to hit the ground running with regard to the administrative elements of the job. What everyone will be watching will be the relationship he builds with Lawrence, as you point out. The long-term success of the franchise, and of this second chapter in Pederson's head-coaching career, will depend on his ability to get the most out of Lawrence, who's still considered a high-level prospect.

Fowler: Pederson's toughest task will be establishing trust with players and coaches who were burned by Meyer. Creating synergy will be crucial for Pederson, who can lean on his experience navigating a pressure-filled Philadelphia market with high expectations. He always seemed to be liked by his players. That should carry over here.

Grades for Jacksonville hiring Pederson

Graziano: A. Pederson brings experience, which matters. He made the playoffs in three of his five years in Philadelphia and won the Super Bowl in the third -- with a backup quarterback leading the way after his starter got injured in December. He should be staffed up and ready to go with assistants, since he has had a year out of the league to plan his return. Think about guys such as former Bears coach Matt Nagy and current Colts assistant Press Taylor. Pederson will hit the ground running with a plan for Lawrence's development and should have some say in the construction of the roster around him.

Fowler: A-. As far as stability goes, Pederson is an easy call. I now expect a better Lawrence in Year 2, along with more offensive pieces around him. Leftwich would have been fun and he's more than qualified, but he's smart waiting on the right situation if this one didn't feel right. Meanwhile, Pederson will have the backing of GM Trent Baalke and Spielman.

Josh McDaniels to the Raiders

NFL background: Offensive coordinator for the Patriots (2012-21, 2006-08); offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Rams (2011); head coach of the Broncos (2009-10); quarterbacks coach for the Patriots (2004-08, 2012-19); defensive assistant for the Patriots (2002-03); personnel assistant for the Patriots (2001)

Fowler: McDaniels couldn't have gotten on the plane for his interview in Las Vegas without a full commitment that, if offered the job, he would take it. And I'm guessing the Raiders got assurance of that before making the interview request. So this has been in the works for a few days, with other candidates for the job expecting him to get it. For me, it's pretty simple: This is a good hire if McDaniels learned from his past experience in Denver, where he mismanaged just about everything as the Broncos' head coach. Since that was over a decade ago, let's assume he has. The man can coach football; that much is not up for debate. But connecting with the locker room and the front office will be big.

Graziano: This is the third time McDaniels has been hired as an NFL head coach, but it would be only the second time he's served as one. Assuming he makes it to the news conference (he pulled out the night before he was to be introduced as Colts head coach four years ago), McDaniels takes over a team that made the playoffs this year. I think that's important. Given the way his tenure as the Broncos' coach looks in retrospect, and the fiasco with Indy, it's pretty important that McDaniels not go somewhere and lose for a couple of years while rebuilding. He has a chance to coach a competitive team in Las Vegas. I think the big question now is what he and new GM Dave Ziegler do with quarterback Derek Carr, who has one non-guaranteed year left on his contract and needs an extension or a trade to a team that'll give him one.

Fowler: Yeah, Carr should be a priority. McDaniels didn't take the job to sign a bridge free-agent quarterback or comb a weak draft class at the position. He's coming to coach Carr, who's a sneaky top-10 quarterback in the eyes of some evaluators around the league. One of the reasons Las Vegas had perhaps the best head-coaching job to offer is because of an offense well-stocked with talent. This offense has a chance to be dangerous, especially if McDaniels gets creative with running back Josh Jacobs and the run game the way he did in New England this year. Dan, do you think McDaniels can handle the relationship/connection part of the job? That's clearly an area where he -- and many coaches from the Bill Belichick tree -- have struggled mightily.

Graziano: It's a good and important question, but I think one reason for optimism is that McDaniels has had a long time to reflect on what happened in Denver. It has been 11 seasons since he was last a head coach. In the meantime, he has had multiple interview cycles in which he didn't get the attention he probably expected to get. It's possible some humility has crept in, and it's certain he's a more mature coach than he was the last time around. Basically, if he hasn't spent the intervening time learning and thinking about how he'd do the job better, we're going to find out early on.

Grades for Las Vegas hiring McDaniels

Fowler: B. The ceiling is quite high because of his football acumen, pedigree and experience. But I need to see more. He flailed out at one head job and bailed on another. And the Belichick coaching tree has been problematic enough where some teams this cycle were intent on not hiring a former/current Patriots coach. But you made a good point about having many years to reflect on this with humility. The Raiders just walked away from a good interim coach in Rich Bisaccia, so they need to be right.

Graziano: A-. McDaniels is absolutely qualified. He understands the things that are important for a head coach, from the X's and O's on up to the critical alignment of coaching staff and front office on salary-cap and other issues. That he's coming with Ziegler, with whom he already has a strong working relationship, makes me like it even more. I just wish I knew who the QB was going to be.

Brian Daboll to the Giants

NFL background: Offensive coordinator for the Bills (2018-21); tight ends coach for the Patriots (2014-16); assistant coach for the Patriots (2013); offensive coordinator for the Chiefs (2012); offensive coordinator for the Dolphins (2011); offensive coordinator for the Browns (2009-10); quarterbacks coach for the Jets (2007-08); wide receivers coach for the Patriots (2002-06); defensive assistant for the Patriots (2000-01)

Graziano: This felt like the way it was headed once the Giants picked former Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen as their new GM last week. Schoen obviously knows Daboll from Buffalo, where the latter has been the Bills' offensive coordinator for the past four years. In that role, Daboll oversaw the development of quarterback Josh Allen into one of the best all-around signal-callers in the league, and part of the reason the Giants picked Daboll surely has something to do with their hope that he can salvage QB Daniel Jones. Daboll has a reputation as a strong leader in the room, and he's due for his opportunity. (He came close to getting the Los Angeles Chargers' top job a year ago.) Now we get to find out how he does in the really big room.

Fowler: Dan, this is the hire that made too much sense. People in Buffalo say Schoen and Daboll are incredibly close, so this is a true pairing with a shared vision. For the Giants, going offense is a sensible move. Daboll's most important task will be maximizing Jones' potential. Going away from the Patriots' model was also the right move. Although Brian Flores, with his New York background and overachieving coaching, worked on paper, I didn't see the Giants going back to the Patriots' well after the Joe Judge firing.

Graziano: Yeah, this was a spot where we thought Flores, the former Dolphins head coach, might land, since Flores has supporters in the Giants' building. They also brought Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier in for a second interview Friday. But Daboll beat them out. I'm looking for former Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to be a leading candidate to join Daboll in New York to run his defense.

Fowler: That's a good call. Martindale is a free agent and more than qualified. There are plenty of good coordinator options out there, and keeping Patrick Graham isn't off the table, either. The key component is who runs Daboll's run game. That offensive line needs a major overhaul. But at worst, Daboll is a creative offensive mind who will infuse life into the offense.

Grades for New York hiring Daboll

Graziano: B-. I've been trying to be consistent and take some points off when guys are hired who haven't done the job before, because we really don't know how he's going to do until he does it. But I did give Daboll a little bump over the first two guys who were hired this cycle (Hackett and Eberflus) because of how important Jones is to the Giants' future. Daboll has also worked for both Bill Belichick and Nick Saban -- though the last Giants head coach did as well.

Fowler: A-. It's smart of the Giants to follow the Buffalo model. It's working. And based on the GM who was hired, Daboll was the wisest choice. The fit is there. Now let's see what Daboll can really do. That he has coached virtually every position on the field over the past two decades should help his transition, and he has been a viable head-coaching candidate for a few years now. It's his time.

Matt Eberflus to the Bears

NFL background: Defensive coordinator for the Colts (2018-21); linebackers coach for the Cowboys (2011-17); linebackers coach for the Browns (2009-10)

Fowler: What I hear about Eberflus is he's organized and projects well in interviews. New GM Ryan Poles was looking for someone with whom he can build. The connection had to be there, and the two hit it off in their interview. Plus, attention toward the defensive side of the ball always plays in Chicago. I'm curious what happened with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who informed teams he's returning to Dallas. He was an attractive candidate. But teams seem to be leaning toward first-time coaches and fresh ideas. Dan, did Chicago get the best guy?

Graziano: I thought it was going to be Jim Caldwell or Quinn, as pairing a first-time GM with a first-time head coach feels a little bit risky. Eberflus has been kicking around the head-coach interview circuit for a while, and he has certainly worked and trained under the right people. As you mentioned, he is very organized and detailed, and he should run a tight ship. But the obvious question is who's coming with him on the offensive side of the ball to oversee the development of quarterback Justin Fields, who's arguably more important to the success of the franchise than any head coach or GM would have been.

Fowler: Absolutely. The hiring of the Bears' offensive coordinator is crucial. There are no obvious ties here. I don't expect Eberflus to dip into the Scott Linehan tree from his Dallas days. But he must have a good one lined up in order to sell the job. Fields' second-year development will help define the Poles-Eberflus tandem, so not only is the coordinator hire crucial but the team's vision for adding weapons around Fields will also be important. The defense should be fine, and Eberflus will most likely bring Colts linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi with him, either as a coordinator or in the same position he held in Indy.

Grades for Chicago hiring Eberflus

Fowler: B-. This is an understated hire -- solid but not overly exciting. And that's OK. Eberflus might turn out to be great. If you're looking for a home run plan around Fields, this probably isn't it. But Eberflus is a good chemistry guy who should engender trust rather quickly.

Graziano: C+. Similar to Hackett in Denver, it's impossible to know whether the guy is a head coach -- and we will all find out together. Eberflus' reputation is strong, and the Bears obviously saw something they liked. But I'd still feel better about it if either the GM or the coach weren't doing this for the first time.

Nathaniel Hackett to the Broncos

NFL background: offensive coordinator for the Packers (2019-21); offensive coordinator for the Jaguars (2016-18); quarterbacks coach for the Jaguars (2015); offensive coordinator for the Bills (2013-14); offensive quality control coach for the Bills (2008-09); offensive quality control coach for the Buccaneers (2006-07)

Graziano: The easy initial reaction here is "Aaron Rodgers," because this is a team we all think is planning to make a run at Rodgers this offseason, and it just hired his current offensive coordinator as its head coach. (Denver also interviewed Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy for this job early in the process.) And sure, Rodgers may end up there, and having Hackett may help the Broncos get him. But to jump right to that conclusion would be to underrate the merits of Hackett, who was an offensive coordinator in Buffalo and in Jacksonville before a three-year stint with the Packers, who won 13 games in each of those years.

Rodgers and other Packers players have spoken about how much they enjoy Hackett and his quirky presentations. He has a way of communicating that players really appreciate, and he's obviously qualified for the job, coming from a place and working with coaches who have had so much success. I feel like Hackett's success in Denver will ultimately be tied to the QB situation, as it so often is and had been in Denver for so long. You can't count on getting Rodgers, obviously, and if they have to go with a lesser or younger (or both) option, Hackett will need to put together a staff that can find success at that position the way his predecessors have not.

Fowler: Hackett impressed Denver in interviews and, like you said, has a sneaky-strong résumé. The guy helped Blake Bortles and Jacksonville get to the playoffs! The Broncos felt the need to go offense here after six straight years of bottom-third production on that side of the ball, and Hackett will come with fresh ideas. This is a good job with $38.5 million in cap space and a good overall roster. But yes, there's no QB answer just yet, and that will be key.

Grades for Denver hiring Hackett

Graziano: C+. It's hard to know how to grade this, because the guy has no experience in the role, and some guys are better suited for coordinator jobs. He has earned the opportunity, sure, but I just don't know enough about him personally to be able to make a prediction about how he'll do. So I'll hedge with a middle-of-the-road grade. But I'd bump it to an A+ if it helps the Broncos land Rodgers.

Fowler: B+. Denver conducted a thorough, organized coaching search that landed on Hackett, who has experience with several different offenses. He was coveted, a finalist for multiple jobs (Denver and Jacksonville), so the market says this is a good hire. He didn't wow every team he interviewed with, and Dan Quinn would have been a strong hire, too, assuming he had the right offensive coordinator. Let's revisit this one in three years. But Hackett is set up for success assuming the quarterback outlook crystallizes.