Denver Broncos: Gary Kubiak Exit Opens Door Wide For Kyle Shanahan
By Erik Lambert
In a somewhat stunning turn of events, Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak is expected to step down after the 2016 season concludes.
Though the Broncos will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010, there was no speculation at all that Kubiak was in trouble. He’d just led the team to a Super Bowl championship. This decision has nothing to do with how he’s doing his job. Instead it’s all about what the job is doing to him. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the decision is one insisted by family who fear his health is getting to a point where staying on the sidelines will be dangerous.
And here it goes: With his family concerned about his health, Gary Kubiak likely is stepping down as Broncos' HC, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2017
And so today is likely going to be Gary Kubiak's final game as Broncos HC, league sources have told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2017
"“This year has taken a toll on the 55-year-old Kubiak and his family. Kubiak left the team for a week in October and missed a Thursday night game in San Diego for what the team called a “complex migraine condition.” Back in 2013, when Kubiak was coaching the Houston Texans, he suffered a mini-stroke during a game and had to be rushed to the hospital. Physically, the demands of the job have become too risky for Kubiak, according to sources.”"
There is no arguing with these points. Honestly there isn’t much left for him to do in the NFL. He won two Super Bowls as an assistant coach and now has one as a head coach. Stepping down would be the right thing to do. His long-term health is far more important than the game. Yet it does present the team with yet another big decision to make this off-season.