Longtime Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan says that he was ready to return as head coach of the Broncos following the 2018 season, but that it ultimately “didn’t work out”.
Shanahan says that he and John Elway, the Broncos president of football operations/general manager, had extensive discussions following Vance Joseph’s first season at the helm, which resulted in a 5-11 record.
“I was close, I was close,” Shanahan said, according to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “One thing that has to happen is you all have to be on the same page. One thing you’ve got to make sure of when you are a head football coach that the owner, the GM, the quarterback are all on the same page. And if it doesn’t happen the chances of you winning the Super Bowl aren’t very good. … I had a great conversation with John as everybody knows, it didn’t work out, sometimes it works out for the right reasons.”
Shanahan, who had not attended a Broncos practice since back in the 2008 season, attended a practice in July
“It’s great to be back … great to see them, great to be a part of it,” Shanahan said on Saturday. “… John’s invited me back several times over the years … And Vic and the coaches, with Scangarello being here … it was time to get back here and kind of enjoy it and the years we had with the Broncos.”
“You always miss coaching, but it’s been five years,” Shanahan said of his hiatus from head coaching. “I made the decision a long time ago, right when I got fired, I said if I didn’t get the right job right away, where you had a chance to win a Super Bowl, that I was probably going to do what I’m doing, being a dad, kind of following your son, the organization, being a part of it.”
“Mike’s always been a big part of this organization,” Elway said. “And it’s nice to get him back out, in my mind it was never really closed, but it was nice to get the communication back — I’ve played some golf with Mike … it’s always good to see him out here because I always enjoy talking football with him … glad he was able to come back and know that this is home to him.”