John Elway hasn't even interviewed his first head-coaching candidate, and the Denver Broncos' new football boss already is 0 for 2.
One day after Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey canceled his interview with the Broncos, Stanford coach Jim Harbaughdecided to join the San Francisco 49ers without ever hearing Elway's offer.
"Wishing Jim Harbaugh all the best with the 49ers," Elway wrote on Twitter. "He did a tremendous job at Stanford and made us alumni proud."
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Elway had told Harbaugh he'd love to talk to him about the Broncos job if he decided to jump to the NFL, but the coach didn't consider Denver as a destination, interviewing with the 49ers and entertaining a cross-country courtship by the Miami Dolphins this week before accepting San Francisco's offer Friday.
The Broncos are in need of a massive makeover following the Josh McDaniels misadventure, which included a series of bad personnel decisions that led to a 4-12 season, the worst in franchise history.
The major rebuilding project needed in Denver might be scaring away some coaching candidates.
A new coach also must be able to work in the shadow of Elway, the enormously popular Hall of Famer who won two Super Bowl titles in the 1990s and already has said he's eager to watch the quarterbacks at practice and give them advice.
The new coach also must be willing and able to mold Tim Tebow into a pro-style passer, according to Elway, who this week became the Broncos' chief football executive and is leading the coaching search.
Elway said Friday on his weekly radio show on 87.7 The Ticket in Denver that he believed Harbaugh would stay in the college ranks, either at Stanford or maybe Michigan, his alma mater. Stanford looked like the leader after star quarterback Andrew Luck decided to stick around for another season.
Elway, who attended Stanford, had reached out to Harbaugh while serving as an honorary captain for his alma mater at the Orange Bowl, where the Cardinal beat Virginia Tech 40-12 to finish the season 12-1.
"I told Jim when we were down at the Orange Bowl that if he was interested in coming to the NFL, we would love to be able to talk to him," Elway said on his show.
Harbaugh's price tag -- $5 million annually over a five-year deal -- might have been too high for the Broncos, anyway. They're already on the hook next year to former coaches Mike Shanahan ($3.5 million) and McDaniels, who was due $3.2 million in 2011 before an undisclosed settlement.
With Harbaugh taken, Elway said he's not interested in interviewing any other coaches looking to jump from the college ranks to the NFL.
"I think Harbaugh's a different guy because he's been in the NFL," Elway said. "But outside of that, I'm inclined to stay in the NFL."
First up for interviews Sunday are New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, who was an interim coach for the Buffalo Bills in 2009, and Eric Studesville, who went 1-3 as interim Broncos coach after his promotion from running backs coach following McDaniels' firing last month.
Elway tweeted Friday afternoon that he "just received permission to speak with Jaguars Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter," who went 66-44 as head coach at Boise State (1998-00) and Arizona State (2001-06).
Elway also said he's seeking permission from the Houston Texans to interview offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, a longtime Broncos assistant who has never been an NFL head coach, and is considering calling former Giants coach Jim Fassel, who tutored Elway in college and in the pros.
"Jim is a possibility," Elway said. "I know him really well from him being my college coach and for two years here, and he definitely got some experience with the Giants. So, he's been on the list. We've thrown his name around a little bit. So, we haven't finalized anything on him."
Fassel went 58-53-1 from 1997 to 2003 in New York and led the Giants to the Super Bowl following the 2000 season, but they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
Broncos general manager Brian Xanders said Friday on Sirius/XM Radio that San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams are among those the Broncos are targeting.
Mularkey canceled his Broncos interview that was slated for Friday night in Atlanta, saying he wanted to focus on the playoffs, although he kept his scheduled interview with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
"It's tough to wait until another month just because you lose the good coaches that are out there and everything," Elway said. "But I think that he's somebody that is very high on a lot of people's lists, and he's still very high on our list. And so I think that we'd still like an opportunity to talk to him."
Elway has indicated his next coach should be a believer in Tebow, who started the last three games this season as a rookie after supplanting Kyle Orton but needs to transform into a pocket passer to be successful in the NFL.
"When Tim came out of college, he didn't come out of a pro-oriented type offense. He came out of the option, the shotgun, the pistol/cannon look ... so footwork-wise and technique-wise what I've been able to see over the last three games is that's got to improve," Elway said.
"I think we have high expectations of Tim to come in and do it right now because of who he is and the college career that he had. But there's a lot of things that the next head coach who comes in has got to be able to work with him on as far as the technique and accuracy."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.