Broncos make NFL history with the hiring of Kelly Kleine
DENVER (BVM) — Throughout May in the NFL, there are not many exciting or compelling stories to report, generally. Kelly Kleine and the Denver Broncos changed that trend for the 2021 NFL offseason.
On May 17, the Denver Broncos made the news official that they hired Kelly Kleine as the executive director of football operations and special advisor to the general manager for the franchise. This was an incredibly groundbreaking move by the Broncos; it has made Kleine the highest-ranking female within football operations in NFL history.
Because of the ever-looming questions that still exist around the NFL and diversity, the hiring of Kleine could be seen as a step forward. The news is especially promising when looking at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and other female coaches in the NFL. The Buccaneers have the largest number of female coaches (two) in the NFL and a female owner and president of the franchise. The Bucs set a new precedent in the NFL with this vision of inclusion on their team. They even released ‘blueprints’ on how teams can better staff their teams with female coaches and executives.
Even beyond the Buccaneers, the 2020 NFL season was a historic one for women in the NFL. A record number of six female coaches (including the Buccaneers’ coaches) were on the sidelines.
All of these examples of increasing numbers of women in the NFL are evidence to show that old norms in the NFL are being smashed down into new and more progressive models that stress the importance of inclusion. Promoting new and progressive models is exactly what teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos are doing. They are setting a precedent for what is possible in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos have a particularly unique opportunity with Kleine in the position she is. Denver has the chance to be regarded with Tampa Bay as as one of the more inclusive teams in the NFL. Kleine has noted since she was hired that she hopes her hiring will be a precursor for other women within professional football to find an opportunity at heights they had never imagined.
Beyond Kleine making diversity and inclusion history in the NFL, she seems to be an excellent fit for the franchise.
“I am honored to be joining such a well-respected, successful organization.” Kleine said in a denverbroncos.com interview. “They have an incredible winning tradition, great fans, and a special community in Denver that loves this team.”
Before coming to Denver, Kleine spent nine years with the Minnesota Vikings, where she worked closely with Denver’s new general manager, George Paton. This relationship should carry over considering that when Paton and Kleine worked together in the scouting department in Minnesota, they drafted players such as Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, Kyle Rudolph, and Eric Kendricks, all of whom are Pro Bowl-caliber players.
With offseason workouts starting to heat up in the NFL, we will begin to see what Klein’s first actions will be. Will her focus be more toward the scouting and player development side? Or, will she want to focus on diversity and inclusion and launch the Broncos into the forefront of the conversation of inclusivity and diversity? Only time will be able to answer those questions.
