Broncos Lose Another Coveted Coach to a Bills' Coordinator Job

The Denver Broncos' coaching staff has been pillaged by the Buffalo Bills in a matter of 24 hours.

Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator coach Jim Leonhard was named interim head coach after Paul Chryst was fired Sunday. Badgers Media Day 0577 | Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buffalo Bills are raiding the Denver Broncos' coaching staff. Hot on the heels of hiring Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael to serve as offensive coordinator, the Bills have hired defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach Jim Leonhard to be their defensive coordinator.

Imagine that: Both of Joe Brady's coordinators being poached from the Broncos. That 33-30 loss to the Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs left an indelible impression.

"Sources: The Bills are hiring Broncos defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator. They have agreed to terms," Ian Rapoport reported on X. "A big hire for new coach Joe Brady. The former player, Leonhard was coveted."

Sources: The #Bills are hiring #Broncos defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator. They have agreed to terms.

A big hire for new coach Joe Brady. The former player, Leonhard was coveted. pic.twitter.com/rdWu9YX8wM

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2026

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Leonhard Gets His Shot

Denver Broncos secondary coach and pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard coaches safety P.J. Locke (6) during the offseason training program. | Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos

Leonhard spent 10 years as an NFL safety. He's most known for his time as a New York Jet, but he had one-year stints with both the Broncos and the Bills.

Leonhard has only been coaching in the NFL since 2024, when Sean Payton hired him out of the college ranks to serve as his secondary coach. After his first year coaching the defensive backs, which saw Patrick Surtain II earn the Defensive Player of the Year award, NFL teams came sniffing around Leonhard.

Payton sweetened the pot by making Leonhard the defensive pass game coordinator and assistant head coach for the 2025 season. The Broncos' defense was even better, finishing seventh against the pass.

Two more players from Leonhard's secondary earned accolades in Surtain and safety Talanoa Hufanga. The shine on Leonhard grew brighter.

The expectation was that defensive coordinator Vance Joseph would very likely be getting a head-coaching job, and while he's interviewed for many vacancies, nothing came to fruition. Leonhard was Payton's defensive-coordinator-in-waiting, but a coach can only wait so long.

Opportunity doesn't always knock twice in the NFL, let alone thrice, so Leonhard is striking while his iron is hot. The Broncos will have some big shoes to fill on that side of the ball because they also have a coaching vacancy at cornerback after firing Addison Lynch earlier this week.

Winning 14 games this year and advancing to the AFC championship game made the Broncos' coaching staff a target. Payton has been doing this for a long time, and he understands this is how it goes for a winning coaching staff.

"It's part of the deal. You're supportive," Payton said on Tuesday. "The difficult part is sitting on that competition committee staff, and what's difficult is when it's taking place while you're still playing. I think our guys have done a good job handling that, but it's still difficult because preparing for one of those interviews requires time, like quite a bit of time. Then preparing for an opponent in the playoffs requires every waking minute. I don't know that I have the solution, but I think it's a challenge that we battle as a league. [I’m] certainly supportive of those guys."

Leonhard's interview with the Bills came after the Broncos were bounced from the playoffs, but Payton's point stands. It's a challenge that all successful teams that push deep into the postseason have to juggle.

The Broncos have lost a pair of coveted coaches, but the good news is that it appears Joseph and offensive pass game coordinator Davis Webb are going to be staying. These departures create some job vacancies. It'll be interesting to see how Payton fills them.