Could John Elway turn to another Shanahan to coach Broncos?

Denver Broncos GM John Elway might not be hiring someone from inside the building to replace Gary Kubiak, but he still could pluck his next head coach from within the family. So to speak.

Immediately following Kubiak’s announcement Monday that he is indeed stepping down from the Broncos — and with Elway saying that he would not be hiring Kubiak’s replacement from the current staff — ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Broncos have reached out for their first known coaching interview request.

Elway, of course, played for Mike Shanahan, Kyle’s father, in the 1990s for the two-time Super Bowl-winning Broncos. But this move also could have other overlaps that would make this a more seamless transition than bringing in a complete stranger whom Elway is less familiar with.

First off, the Kubiak-Kyle Shanahan bond is strong. Shanahan was around the team during his father’s tenure, which included Kubiak as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator for much of that time. He and Kyle Shanahan also worked together with the Houston Texans when Kubiak was head coach there and they run a similar scheme, which would keep the transition for quarterbacks Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch more seamless (assuming the Broncos don’t make a move for a franchise QB), as well as the rest of the offensive building blocks.

Second of all, it could allow Elway to keep much of the Broncos’ current staff in place if they want to. Although Shanahan is only 37 years old, he is respected around the NFL and did good work with the Atlanta Falcons’ offense (33.5 points per game — the only NFL team that averaged more than 30 this season) as their coordinator. With the Falcons on bye, Shanahan has a window to interview with teams this week, and he’s expected to meet with the Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams about their respective head-coaching vacancies.

Elway would still need to interview at least one minority candidate for the job, per the Rooney Rule, and by eliminating any current Broncos assistants from his search he makes that potentially a little more difficult and awkward. After all, minority candidates from other teams might be leery of interviewing for a job they might not have a shot at if the perception is that Elway hiring Shanahan is a coup d’état.

Kubiak stepping down has created a very interesting and strong job opening, and yet Shanahan might also be worried about going to a place where his father set the ball very high with multiple titles and high expectations to return to the postseason with a defense that appears ready to win right now. He also might have different ideas about which direction to turn at QB or decisions to be made about current assistants and any whom Shanahan might want to bring in from the Falcons or elsewhere.

It’s not a sure thing that Shanahan would take this job, but it might be the best job available on the NFL market and could be too tough to turn down if Elway offers it.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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