Gary Kubiak to Broncos: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

After nine seasons away from the Denver Broncos, Gary Kubiak is returning to the team. This time, however, he'll be the Broncos' head coach, replacing the recently departed John Fox.

The Broncos confirmed the move on Monday via a release on the team website and also provided this photo of Kubiak arriving:

John Elway addressed the hire in the announcement, saying: "While there is no question he is a Bronco, what Gary has learned from his other opportunities around the league -- especially in his eight seasons as a head coach -- will tremendously benefit our organization."

The Broncos also passed along comment from one of Kubiak's former players, who praised his coach's ability to reach his team:

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'That effort that happened last Sunday against the Colts? I'm not sure that ever happens with Gary Kubiak as a coach,' said Joel Dreessen, who played five seasons under Kubiak in Houston before joining the Broncos for the 2012-13 campaigns under then-coach John Fox.

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'One of the reasons is because, in Saturday night meetings, everybody was on the edge of their seat waiting for him to talk. Everyone in the room has chills under their arms -- I'm talking about coaches and players alike,' Dreessen said. 'He gave very inspirational talks. But it's not a whole lot of rah-rah stuff. It's genuine confidence-building talks that he'd give us. Basically we'd all leave those team meetings on Saturday night ready to run through a wall for the guy.'

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Mike Klis of The Denver Post first broke the news that the two sides were closing in on an agreement.

ESPN's Adam Schefter would later report Kubiak has agreed to take the job.

The Broncos confirmed the Bob Allen of KHOU 11 in Houston took a picture of Kubiak and John Elway celebrating the news:

Kubiak spent 11 seasons with Denver, from 1995 to 2005, as the team's offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Shanahan. He helped construct the offense led by quarterback John Elway and running back Terrell Davis that guided the Broncos to consecutive Super Bowl victories in 1997 and 1998.

He then left to become head coach of the Houston Texans, where he went 63-66 over eight seasons (61-64 in the regular season, 2-2 in the playoffs), leading the team to two AFC South titles and two playoff appearances. The Texans fired him during the 2013 season after starting 2-11, however.

He then became the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator this past season, leading Baltimore to the league's eighth-ranked rushing attack and the 12th-best overall offense. The fit between Kubiak and the Ravens seemed to be a natural one, despite speculation he could leave for other coaching opportunities.

He denied any interest in head coaching gigs on Jan. 11, via the Ravens' official website:

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It is flattering and humbling to be invited to interview for a number of NFL head coaching positions, and I greatly appreciate these opportunities. But I have decided to stay with the Ravens. This is a special organization and we, like [Head] Coach [John] Harbaugh says, are building something great. I want to be a part of that and contribute in whatever ways I can.

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That was before Fox and the Broncos parted ways, though, and Kubiak clearly had a change of heart after that position opened up.

It's hardly surprising. Kubiak's ties to Elway—Denver's general manager and executive vice president of football operations—run deep. The two were teammates from 1983 to 1991, and then Elway played under Kubiak when he was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator starting in 1995.

The hiring will raise questions, however. How will Kubiak and Peyton Manning, should he return next year, coexist? Will Manning fit into a more run-based attack under Kubiak's stretch-zone run scheme that puts an emphasis on the play-action passing game?

If Manning doesn't decide to hang up his cleats for good, how those two work together next season will be a major storyline for a Broncos team that has Super Bowl aspirations. The pieces are certainly in place to bring another title to Denver. Kubiak has two championships under his belt as an assistant coach, but now his job is to win his first as the head honcho.