ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos general manager John Elway is working on a four-year contract with Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak to become the team’s next coach, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement isn’t expected to be announced until Monday.
Kubiak replaces John Fox, who left the organization last Monday following Denver’s stunning playoff loss at home to the Indianapolis Colts. Fox was hired as the Chicago Bears’ new coach on Friday.
Elway and team president Joe Ellis met with Kubiak in Houston for several hours on Sunday.
Kubiak was Elway’s backup quarterback from 1983 through 1991 and Denver’s offensive coordinator from 1995 through 2005 under Mike Shanahan. He helped build the blueprint for the back-to-back Super Bowls the Broncos won that capped Elway’s Hall of Fame playing career.
Kubiak went 63-66, counting the playoffs, as head coach of the Houston Texans from 2006 through 2013. He had a health scare during his final season in Houston and was fired by the Texans with three games remaining.
Elway interviewed two other candidates: Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph. Two others, former Bills head coach Doug Marrone and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, withdrew their names from consideration over the last few days as it became clear that Kubiak was the heavy favorite.
Kubiak is expected to take over a team that may or may not have Peyton Manning under center in 2015. The five-time MVP is mulling his future after a promising season turned sour down the stretch and ended unexpectedly with a 24-13 loss to his former team in the AFC divisional round.
Elway asked Manning the day after the game not to make a rash decision and said he asked him to mull things over for a few weeks.
Manning pulled out of next week’s Pro Bowl because a strained right thigh hasn’t gotten much better over the last week.
Manning was one of the Broncos’ league-high 10 Pro Bowlers, only two of whom are pending free agents — Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas — whom Elway said were his top two priorities once he found a new coach.
The Broncos have a total of 17 free agents, including a dozen unrestricted ones. They figure to put the franchise tag on Thomas if they can’t iron out a long-term contract with the star receiver.
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