Jim Leonhard expected to join Denver Broncos coaching staff

Over the past few years, former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has been one of the hottest commodities on the coaching market. And that’s in both the NFL and college coaching ranks.

Just a few minutes before the Super Bowl was about to kick off on Sunday, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that Leonard is headed off to the NFL to coach for the Denver Broncos, where he’ll coach their secondary and work under Sean Payton.

He spent last season working as a senior football analyst for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

As a player, he is one of the more decorated defenders in college football history. He is a member of the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. Leonhard was also a three-time first-team All-American, three-time All-Big Ten first-team selection, two-time Academic All-American, and two-time team captain during his time in Madison.

During his NFL playing career, the Wisconsin native racked up 428 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and 14 interceptions. One of his best seasons came in 2013 with the Buffalo Bills, when he snatched four interceptions and racked up 41 total tackles. He played in 16 games for them that season, starting in seven.

In 2016, he returned to Wisconsin as their defensive backs coach and worked his way up to defensive coordinator in 2017. He quickly became one of the biggest names in the industry on the defensive side of the ball and took over for Paul Chryst as interim head coach in 2022, going 5-3.

Considered a candidate for the full-time head coaching job, Leonhard didn’t remain on staff when Luke Fickell took over in Madison. 

“I definitely opened the door for Jim to be here. He’s trying to weigh the options,” Fickell said.

Leonhard was linked to several jobs last offseason. That included the open Alabama job as well as the Philadelphia Eagles open defensive coordinator slot, which he interviewed for though the process didn’t move forward.

Leonhard teamed up with another former Wisconsin head coach, Bret Bielema, at Illinois. In 2004, Bielema was Leonhard’s defensive coordinator during an All-American campaign. So, while they hadn’t coached together before, the two were familiar with one another.

He played his high school football at Flambeau High School (Tony, Wisconsin), where he played quarterback and safety. During his freshman season in 1997, the Flambeau Falcons won the Wisconsin state championship in Division 6 over River Ridge High School.

On3’s Dan Morrison also contributed to this article.