Nothing official yet but according to reports, Darren Rizzi is expected to reunite with Sean Payton in Denver as his special teams coordinator.
According to NFL Network’s lead league insider Ian Rapoport, veteran special teams coach Darren Rizzi will likely become the Denver Broncos special teams coordinator.
As the #Saints zero in on Kellen Moore, slated to have another conversation with him after the Super Bowl, interim coach Darren Rizzi is likely to become the new #Broncos special teams coordinator, sources say.
Back with Sean Payton, and an important hire. pic.twitter.com/k6P0YwoOIP
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2025
Rizzi is a veteran special teams coach who has been with the Saints since 2019 when he joined Sean Payton’s staff. He has been their special teams coach since then but took over as their interim head coach this past season after they fired head coach Dennis Allen. He is currently in the running to be the Saints head coach, but the team appears to be setting their sights on Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as their choice. They cannot meet with him for a second time until after the Super Bowl, but if all goes as expected, he’ll be the Saints’ next head coach.
Despite that, Nick Underhill, who covers the Saints says that Rizzi is going to wait out the Saints coaching process and that the Broncos have yet to officially request an interview with the veteran coach. He remains a favorite to become the Broncos’ next special teams coach but is holding out hope he can remain as the Saints head coach. So, this may drag on until after the Super Bowl.
He is a 54-year-old coach who started his NFL coaching career with the Miami Dolphins back in 2009 as their assistant special teams coach. He coached in the college ranks from 1993 to 2008, but his NFL coaching career started with the Dolphins. He would become the Dolphins special teams coach in 2010 and held the job through 2018. He would add the associate head coach title for the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Dolphins. In 2019, he would Sean Payton in New Orleans as their special teams coordinator and hold that job through the 2024 season. He would once again receive the assistant head coach title in 2022 and hold it through the 2024 season. After the team fired head coach Dennis Allen, he was named the interim head coach and won over his players during his time there. He is currently in the running for their head coaching job, but as we covered, it appears Kellen Moore is the favorite for the job.
If he joins the Broncos staff which is expected, it would give Sean Payton another experienced coach and one of the better special teams coach in the league. Do not expect this to come together quickly as there is still some moving parts happening, but it appears Rizzi will land with the Broncos once everything falls into place.