The sting of Sunday's playoff defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts was apparently too much for Denver Broncos general manager and executive vice president of football operations, John Elway, to bear.
Only a day after he watched his Broncos kicked like a tin can up and down Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Elway made the monumental decision to part ways with head coach, John Fox, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.
Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted the news almost simultaneously.
Fox took over the Broncos on January 13, 2011 after nine seasons as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
In four seasons under Fox, the Broncos finished first in the AFC West and made it to the postseason four-straight times. He ends his tenure with the team with a 46-18 record.
Glazer had reported on Sunday that it was possible for Fox to become available - an assertion many found laughable at the time. The team will be forced to eat approximately $10 million in dead money on Fox's current deal.
With quarterback Peyton Manning at the helm of his offense, the notoriously defensive-minded Fox was able to cede offensive control to Manning and a string of young, up and coming offensive coordinators and focus his efforts on defense.
A year after offensive coordinator Mike McCoy left the team to take over the head spot with the San Diego Chargers, it may be that another of those highly touted offensive assistants is set to take over for the Broncos with Fox's ousting.
Adam Gase, viewed by many around the league and especially within the Broncos organization, as a bright, young offensive mind, could be set to take the reins of the Denver franchise.
Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, in an article that was published Sunday night, points to the short extension handed to Fox by the team in April 2012 and the high opinion of Gase held by those in the know as reasons both for Fox's - at the time - potential ousting, and Gase's possible ascension.
"Manning and Gase have outstanding quarterback-coach chemistry. When then-offensive coordinator Mike McCoy left Denver to take the San Diego Chargers job before the start of last season, Manning and the Broncos weren't terribly worried. Though they were losing an outstanding coach in McCoy, they knew they had another one in waiting in Gase. Now, with Gase on the verge of leaving, there isn't the same kind of confidence they can replace him."
With Manning probably not interested in starting fresh with a new coordinator for his final season or two and with Gase drawing considerable interest elsewhere, removing Fox may have been the only play left to make for Elway and the Broncos to keep their future, and maybe soon to be current, head coach.
