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Fooch's Update: Ian Rapoport is reporting the 49ers are expected to make a final push for Adam Gase tonight. Fox's departure certainly makes this a little more interesting.
The #49ers are expected to meet with and make a final push for #Broncos OC Adam Gase tonight, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2015
The NFL coaching search carousel just took a crazy spin. The Denver Broncos and head coach John Fox have mutually agreed to part ways, according to all the national media. It is kind of amazing how "mutually agreed to part ways" has officially become a part of the lexicon. It is not new this offseason, but the San Francisco 49ers "mutual" agreement with Jim Harbaugh seems to have inspired an overload of these situations.
This is not a shocking development given Jay Glazer's first report about this possibility before the Broncos had even lost their divisional round matchup. However, given the Broncos success the last three years, it is surprising in that sense. It is described as mutual, but we all know he was effectively fired and just given a nice wording on the way out.
This raises numerous questions that will impact several teams. The first is who gets Fox's job. Does Jack Del Rio or Adam Gase emerge as the favorite? Del Rio was a favorite to land the Oakland Raiders job, but that could change now. Gase has interviewed for several head coach jobs, so there are going to be some options for him. The Broncos will also need to go fulfill the Rooney Rule before hiring a coach.
The elephant in the room is the future of quarterback Peyton Manning. After the team's loss on Sunday, Manning was non-committal about his future. He likely figured he would take some time to get over the loss before making a firm decision about the future. The Broncos have until March 9 to decide if they will keep him on their roster for 2015, as that is when his 2015 salary becomes fully guaranteed.
If Manning retires, there could be a mad scramble out of Denver. Or maybe Adam Gase looks at Brock Osweiler as a chance to prove he is more than just Peyton Manning's offensive coordinator. The next few days will be fascinating as the Broncos figure out their future.