A little more than a year after Denver parted ways with him, Michael Wilhoite is reportedly on his way back to the Broncos.
Sean Payton's staff is likely to add Wilhoite in some capacity, according to a report from CBS Sports. The move comes after the criminal case that cost him his job last spring was resolved in June, when all charges tied to his February 2025 arrest were dismissed and the court filings sealed, per his attorney Harvey Steinberg.
For those in need of a refresher, Wilhoite was arrested back in February 2025 at a drop-off zone at Denver International Airport and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, along with misdemeanor obstruction and criminal mischief. The Broncos moved on from him 10 days later.
Those charges are now gone, though Wilhoite is not entirely in the clear on the legal front. The officer involved, Jesus Galvan Chavez, has a civil suit pending, and if the two sides don't settle, they are scheduled for trial in March 2027.
Payton's decision to bring him back into the fold makes some sense. Wilhoite already knows the building, the scheme and the players. He coached Denver's outside linebackers in 2023 and 2024 under Payton and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, and by the time he left he had a reputation as an up-and-coming coach on the defensive side of the ball.
He walked in with a good resume, too. Before Denver, Wilhoite spent two seasons as the Chargers' linebackers coach and got his coaching start under Payton in New Orleans in 2019 and 2020. Working together in New Orleans certainly matters, as Payton has never been shy about bringing back people he trusts.
Wilhoite played six positions at Washburn, went undrafted, spent 2011 with the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL, and worked his way onto the 49ers' practice squad late that year. He turned that into a real NFL career, starting all 16 games at inside linebacker in 2014 in place of an injured NaVorro Bowman and finishing with 87 tackles and two interceptions for a top-five defense. He later spent 2017 in Seattle before moving into coaching.
He rejoins a defense coming off a strong year. Joseph's group finished third in the NFL in scoring in 2025 as Denver went 14-3, won the AFC West and reached the AFC Championship Game before falling to New England.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest on Denver's staff.