Wade Phillips never really got his proper Broncos goodbye.
Caught between Gary Kubiak’s surprise retirement announcement and the hiring of former Phillips assistant Vance Joseph as the Broncos’ head coach, Phillips was suddenly on the market looking for a new defensive coordinator’s job.
Phillips’ exit from the Broncos to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason was puzzling for many, considering the job he did coordinating the Broncos’ defense. Denver had the NFL’s top-ranked defense in 2015 en route to a Super Bowl championship and the fourth overall-ranked defense last season.