After early playoff exit, Fox leaves Broncos

ENGLEWOOD, Colorado — John Elway is looking for a new coach after agreeing to part ways with John Fox following Denver’s latest playoff meltdown.

Fox won the AFC West all four of his years in Denver, but each of those seasons ended in ugly fashion in the playoffs, culminating with Sunday’s 24-13 upset by Indianapolis.

Fox might already have something in the works with another franchise — he didn’t shoot down a pregame report Sunday night that he could be available if the Broncos suffered a loss.

Neither Fox nor Elway would say what was discussed Monday when they met other than it was time to split up.

“It became clear that it was best for both the Den- ver Broncos and Coach Fox to move on and make this change,” Elway said in a statement.

So, Fox is out after going 49-22 in Denver, including the playoffs, following a 78-74 record in nine years with the Carolina Panthers, counting the post-season.

The Broncos went 8-8 in Fox’s first year, when Tebowmania was in full pitch. The stakes were raised when Denver won the Peyton Manning sweepstakes and replaced Tim Tebow in 2012.

Manning was murky about his future Sunday night, saying he had to process this latest loss before deciding whether to play an 18th NFL season. He wasn’t in the locker room Monday.

Elway thanked Fox for helping “establish a positive, winning culture for this team” and said he “deserves a lot of credit for the Broncos’ turnaround,” but added “there is still work to be done” to win a Super Bowl.

Fox characterized his meeting with Elway as productive and honest and the two “mutually agreed that the timing was right for this decision.”

“Although we came up short of our ultimate goal, I am proud of our team’s many accomplishments during these last four years,” Fox said in a statement. “It was an honour to coach the Denver Broncos, a firstclass franchise with great fans and a winning tradition.

“I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead,” Fox added.

Fox became the only coach in NFL history to win a dozen consecutive divisional road games on his way to an unprecedented four straight AFC West titles in Denver.