The Broncos are hiring Darren Rizzi as their special teams coordinator, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Rizzi will also take on the title of assistant head coach, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
The move will reunite Rizzi with Sean Payton, who hired Rizzi for the same job in New Orleans in 2019. The pair coached together until Payton’s retirement after the 2021 season. Dennis Allen took over as the Saints’ head coach, and Rizzi received a promotion to assistant head coach. When Allen was fired during the 2024 season, Rizzi took over as interim head coach and earned enough support within the building to interview for the permanent job in January. He also interviewed for the Jets’ HC vacancy, but gained little traction towards either position.
Teams then focused on Rizzi as a potential special teams coordinator after several successful seasons with the Saints and the Dolphins. He was linked to the Bears after Ben Johnson was hired and drew interest from multiple other teams, including the Broncos.
Denver emerged as the frontrunner by the end of January with the Jets hiring Aaron Glenn and the Saints pursuing Kellen Moore. Rizzi was likely waiting for Moore to officially take the job in New Orleans before joining the Broncos.
In additon to Payton, Rizzi will also reunite with former Saints kicker Wil Lutz in Denver. Lutz’s last two years in New Orleans were marked by a season-ending injury in 2021 and a career-low field goal conversion rate in 2022, but he has been one of the league’s best kickers over the last two seasons. Lutz isn’t the only ex-Saint in Denver, either. A number of Payton’s former players and coaches followed him to the Broncos over the last two years, giving Rizzi a comfortable landing spot for his next job.
The Denver Saints