2009 Denver Broncos season
| 2009 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Head coach | Josh McDaniels |
| General manager | Brian Xanders |
| Owner | Pat Bowlen |
| Home field | INVESCO Field at Mile High |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 5 |
| AP All-Pros |
Ryan Clady (1st team) Elvis Dumervil (1st team) Brian Dawkins (2nd team) |
| Uniform | |
 |
|
The 2009 Denver Broncos season was their 40th season in the NFL and 50th season overall. The Broncos matched their 8–8 regular season record from 2008, but did not make the playoffs. The Broncos welcomed many new defensive players signed during free agency, including veteran Eagles safety Brian Dawkins. This was their first season without head coach Mike Shanahan since 1995, as he was fired on December 30, 2008. On January 12, 2009, Denver hired former New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. At the time of his hiring, McDaniels was the youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports and the fifth-youngest NFL head coach ever, though less than a week later the Tampa Bay Buccaneers named the even-younger Raheem Morris as their head coach.
According to the 2012 Football Outsiders Almanac, the 2009 Broncos had the second-largest improvement in defensive efficiency from the previous season.
After head coach Josh McDaniels was hired, rumors eventually surfaced that a there was a three-way trade involving McDaniels' former team, the New England Patriots, and a third potential team (Detroit Lions or Tampa Bay Buccaneers) that would have sent quarterback Jay Cutler to the Lions or Buccaneers and the Broncos would receive Matt Cassel, who worked with McDaniels during the previous season, from the Patriots. After the trade talks surfaced, Cutler was angered and infuriated by the rumors because he didn't think he was going to be traded, and he refused to talk with either McDaniels or general manager Brian Xanders after both had denied the rumors.
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