With the New Orleans Saints closing in on hiring Kellen Moore as their new head coach, the squad’s former interim HC is heading out west.
Darren Rizzi is being hired as the Denver Broncos special teams coordinator, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday. The team later confirmed the hiring.
Much like Moore’s hire in the Big Easy, Rizzi’s move to the Mile High City was expected.
Rizzi will reunite with Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who hired him onto the Saints staff ahead of the 2019 season.
The 54-year-old has been an NFL assistant since 2009, but the Broncos will be just his third league stop. He began his tenure as an assistant special teams coach with the Miami Dolphins in 2009 and stayed in South Beach through 2018.
Rizzi’s final season with New Orleans was his most notable, as he replaced the fired Dennis Allen and went 3-5 as an interim head coach. His head coaching run began with New Orleans going 2-0 to stop a seven-game skid.
Alvin Kamara, Cameron Heyward and Derek Carr were among the Saints players who endorsed Rizzi as their head coach of choice going forward. However, Moore, the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, had been the favorite to take the gig for some time now.
So, Rizzi is back with Payton and back as a special teams coordinator.