Christian Parker is squarely on the interview circuit.
The Broncos’ defensive backs coach on Friday interviewed for Green Bay’s open defensive coordinator post, a source confirmed to The Denver Post. That’s the second coordinator job he’s talked with another team about this month after an interview for the same job in New England.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see more, either, as the eight teams to change head coaches this winter fill their top vacancies and then those coaches set about hiring staffs.
This one, of course, was not with a new head coach but with Packers head man Matt LaFleur, who earlier this week fired Joe Barry and is looking for a replacement.
LaFleur and Parker have history, too. Parker served as a defensive quality control coach in 2019-20 for the Packers before his three-year stint as the defensive backs coach in Denver began.
Parker in Green Bay worked for LaFLeur and then-defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. Since then, he’s learned from Vic Fangio in 2021, Ejiro Evero in 2022 and Vance Joseph this season in Denver.
At just 32 years old, Parker quickly impressed Joseph as he has seemingly every coach he’s crossed paths with.
LaFleur has already worked with Parker in the past and saw some of his group’s best work of the season in Week 7 when the Broncos beat the Cowboys.
Denver was one of the last teams to hold down Packers quarterback Jordan Love before he caught fire over the second half of his first season starting.
Love finished a 19-17 Broncos win 20-of-31 for 180 yards and two touchdowns, but the two touchdowns were a ricocheted ball that landed in Romeo Doubs’ arms and a jump ball that just as easily could have been a Pat Surtain II interception.
Late in the game, Broncos safety P.J. Locke salted the win away with an interception on a deep ball in which he started on the opposite half of the field and covered major ground to get to a Love deep ball for receiver Samori Toure.
“I normally don’t do this, but they were in the perfect offensive play call for what we were running,” safety Justin Simmons said of the call and his teammate’s play. “For anyone that goes back and watches the film, that is a one-of-one type of play that P.J. made. Basically playing the half field (and) to run just outside the numbers to come get number two running a deep over route and pick it. Pass breakup is going to be a heck of a play, but to have the pick to seal the game. I know he knows that was a big play.
“Everyone knows a big play, but I hope he gets the credit he deserves on that play because that was a heck of a play that not a lot of guys can make.”
Parker gets some credit, too, for the work he’s done developing the Broncos’ defensive backs. It clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed around the league.
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