The top head coaching candidates have all been linked to the Denver Broncos. After Nathaniel Hackett failed to make it through one season, the Broncos could potentially hire someone who's reached the Super Bowl as a head coach.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had a virtual interview with the Broncos that lasted over two hours Monday, according to NFL Network. Denver has received permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview Sean Peyton, NFL Network reports. Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans are also candidates to be the next Broncos head coach, according to the latest rumors.

Harbaugh has been one of college football's most successful coaches in the last few years, leading Michigan to two straight playoff appearances. Before leaving the NFL for his alma mater in 2015, Harbaugh went 44-19-1 in four seasons as the 49ers head coach. Harbaugh's 49ers made three straight NFC Championship Games, along with a trip to the Super Bowl in the 2012 campaign.

Harbaugh continues to flirt with making a return to the NFL. He interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings last year before deciding to stay in Ann Arbor.

Peyton, 59, led the Saints to a Super Bowl championship in the 2009 season. From 2006-2021, Peyton went 152-89 as New Orleans' head coach with nine postseason appearances. Because Peyton stepped down as the team's coach with time left on his contract in 2022, the Saints can ask for compensation from any team that wants to hire him.

Denver and New Orleans have reportedly discussed what potential compensation for Peyton might look like. The Broncos aren't allowed to officially interview Peyton until Jan. 17.

Like Harbaugh, Quinn was a few plays away from winning a Super Bowl as a head coach. In the 2016 season, Quinn led the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl, where the team famously squandered a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots. Quinn went 43-42 with Atlanta from 2015-2020.

The Cowboys had the league's No. 7 scoring defense under Quinn in 2021. Dallas enters the playoffs with the No. 5 scoring defense.

San Francisco has the best defense in football, surrendering just 16.3 points per game. Leading the league's best unit, Ryans will be considered for several head coaching vacancies in 2023.

Five teams are without a head coach.

The Broncos went 5-12 in the 2022 season, missing the playoffs for the seventh straight year. Given how poorly Russell Wilson played and the draft picks that the team surrendered in a trade for the quarterback, the next head coach of the Broncos faces a difficult challenge in trying to make Denver a contender.

Michigan Football Jim Harbaugh
Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 30, 2019, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Leon Halip/Getty Images