Report: The Packers have interviewed Christian Parker, the DBs coach for the Broncos, to be their defensive coordinator.
The Denver Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker has reportedly been interviewed by the Green Bay Packers for the position of defensive coordinator, which is currently open, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
Since taking over as the Broncos’ defensive backs coach in 2021, Parker has emerged as one of the team’s rising talents. He was interviewed for the role of defensive coordinator for the Broncos last season and has survived three head coaching changes. He could have the chance to work as a defensive coordinator this offseason because he is one.
Parker received high praise from the Broncos defensive coordinator, who used him to learn Vic Fangio’s defense during the previous campaign. He described him as a “star,” “sharp,” and someone that players adore playing for.
During his tenure with the Broncos, Parker is credited with helping the team’s secondary develop. As a coach, Patrick Surtain has developed into one of the league’s best cornerbacks, mentoring players like Ja’Quan McMillian and P.J. Locke. As Joseph pointed out, he enjoys a good reputation, which is demonstrated by the fact that he has endured several changes in head coaching. He is a worthy applicant for this position.
In addition to Parker, the Packers are interviewing Aden Durde of the Dallas Cowboys, Bobby Babich of the Buffalo Bills, and former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, Brandon Staley, for the position of defensive coordinator.
In my selfish opinion, losing Parker—who has the potential to be a fantastic defensive coordinator—would be terrible, but the gifted coach would definitely deserve the promotion.
The Denver Broncos’ top priority as the offseason draws near is complying with the salary cap. The exact 2024 cap amount is still unknown, but assuming a $242 million base cap, the Broncos are expected to be $23.6 million over the cap.
While Over the Cap indicates that the Broncos will have $27.4 million more in “effective cap space” than the projected cap, it does not account for the fact that every team will have 51 players under contract in 2024. Teams that are still in the playoffs have not yet committed any players to long-term deals.
The top 51 cutoff rule for the cap is in place during the offseason. In other words, only the top 51 cap hits are included in the cap calculation; hits below that threshold are not.
With 59 players currently under contract, including those on futures contracts, the Broncos should assume the $23.6 million above the cap amount until the base cap is determined.
Whatever the actual number, the Broncos will still be above the cap. This raises the question of how Denver can comply with the cap.
The Broncos have three options to choose from in order to stay under the cap and keep at least 51 players under contract. The Broncos’ decision regarding which scenario to pursue is based on their assessment of how close their current roster will get them to being a consistent postseason contender.
Let’s look at each of those three scenarios and their implications.
Situation 1: Recover everything.
In this case, almost the whole roster of the Broncos is available for selection. This needs to be changed in several ways in order to comply with the cap.
