Broncos hiring Klint Kubiak as QBs coach, targeting Packers' Justin Outten as offensive coordinator
Nathaniel Hackett is quickly assembling his staff in Denver.
Former Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is joining the Broncos as the team’s new quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Kubiak is in line to work under Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten, who is considered to be Denver’s target for its offensive coordinator position, per Rapoport.
Kubiak just completed his first season as an offensive coordinator, directing the NFL’s 12th-ranked offense in total yards per game and 14th-ranked unit in points scored per game. These numbers might indicate Kubiak should be in line for another coordinator job, but at 34 years old (Kubiak turns 35 in February) and back on the open market following the house-cleaning in Minneapolis, a title just below that of a coordinator is a nice way to quickly get back on an NFL staff.
He’ll be traveling to a familiar destination. Kubiak is headed back to the Mile High City, where he spent three seasons as a Broncos offensive assistant from 2016-2018. It’s also where he watched his father, Gary, play for the Broncos from 1983-1991, and where his father remained as an offensive coordinator from 1995-2005 before returning as the team’s head coach in 2015.
Gary is no longer in Denver in a working capacity, but Klint is following in his footsteps by returning to a more prominent role within the Broncos’ offense.
Outten will take the lead role under Hackett in a logical move for the Packers assistant, who worked alongside Hackett since the two joined Matt LaFleur’s staff in January of 2019. Since then, the Packers have been a top-10 offense in each of the last two seasons, reaching the NFC Championship Game twice in the last three years.
With Outten mentoring him, Robert Tonyan caught 11 touchdown passes in 2020, his third professional season. Denver might hope to see Outten have a similar impact on Noah Fant, who has 10 career receiving touchdowns in three seasons.
Before the Broncos can start dreaming about new single-season high marks for its weapons, they’ll first need to figure out who’s playing quarterback. From there, it’ll be time for Hackett, Kubiak and Outten — if he ultimately ends up in Denver — to get to work on trying to transform the Broncos from a struggling offense (19th in total offense) into Green Bay West.
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