Broncos get good news following recent move made by Packers

The Denver Broncos are going to be retaining a key assistant coach on their staff, at least for the time being. 

On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers came to terms with former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon to be the team's new defensive coordinator. It was said that there was mutual interest between the Packers and Jim Leonhard, who currently serves as a defensive pass game coordinator and assistant head coach for the Broncos. 

The Broncos know that Leonhard is a rising star within the coaching ranks and they want to keep him on their staff, particularly if Vance Joseph is hired as a head coach for one of the teams that still have a vacancy (Raiders, Cardinals, Browns, Bills). 

If Joseph gets one of those jobs, it's likely that Leonhard would be appointed as his successor. If Joseph stays put, Leonhard has at least one more season to help the Broncos maintain one of the best defenses in the league. 

With Leonhard being a Wisconsin native, he likely would have jumped at the chance to leave for Green Bay. The hiring of Gannon takes that out of the equation. However, ESPN's Jordan Raanan is reporting that he could be a strong option for the New York Giants. 

Leonhard played 10 seasons in the NFL, including one in Denver in 2012. His coaching career started in 2016 when he went back to his alma mater, Wisconsin. Sean Payton gave him his first NFL job, bringing him onto Denver's staff in 2024. 

Quickly, his star has risen. 

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The Broncos would like to hope that Leonhard slips through the cracks so that they can keep him in the Mile High City, but it seems that other teams have identified him as a future star within the coaching ranks. The Broncos no longer have the Packers to worry about, but another team, such as the Giants, could still swoop in and pluck him away. 

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