Jim Leonhard
Defensive Coordinator at Buffalo Bills since 2026.
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- Seasons coached
- 11
- First season
- 2016
- Teams
- 9
Career
11 stints
- 2016Defensive backs coachHead Coach
- 2016WisconsinDefensive Backs
- 2017–2022Defensive coordinator & defensive backs coachHead Coach
- 2017–2022WisconsinDefensive CoordinatorDefensive BacksSafeties
- 2022Interim head coachHead Coach
- 2022WisconsinHead CoachInterim
- 2023IllinoisSenior Analyst
- 2024Defensive backs coach & pass game coordinatorHead Coach
- 2024–2025Denver BroncosHead Coach
- 2025Assistant head coach & pass game coordinatorHead Coach
- 2026–presentBuffalo BillsDefensive Coordinator
Coaching tree
3 mentors, 19 protégés, 1 branch — a branch is a protégé who went on to hold a head job.
MentorsProtégés
Became a head coachShowing up to 7 per row
Relationships
Coached under
22
- 2025Brian NiedermeyerMentored · Denver Broncos
- 2025Jeff SchmeddingMentored · Denver Broncos
- 2025Marwan MaaloufMentored · Denver Broncos
- 2024Ben KotwicaMentored · Denver Broncos
- 2024John MortonMentored · Denver Broncos
- 2024–2025Keary ColbertMentored · Denver Broncos
- 2024Mike WesthoffMentored · Denver Broncos
- 2024–2025Vance JosephMentored · Denver Broncos
- 2023Bret BielemaCoached under · Illinois
- 2022Al JohnsonMentored · Wisconsin
- 2022Alvis WhittedMentored · Wisconsin
- 2022Bob BostadMentored · Wisconsin
- 2022Bobby April IIIMentored · Wisconsin
- 2022Bobby EngramMentored · Wisconsin
- 2022Chris HaeringMentored · Wisconsin
7 more, most recent shown first.
Succeeded
9
- 2025Evan RothsteinSucceeded by · Denver Broncos
- 2025John MortonSucceeded by · Denver Broncos
- 2024Myers HendricksonSucceeded by · Illinois
- 2023Mike TresselSucceeded by · Wisconsin
- 2022Luke FickellSucceeded by · Wisconsin
- 2022Paul ChrystSucceeded · Wisconsin
- 2017Justin WilcoxSucceeded · Wisconsin
- 2017Mike MacdonaldSucceeded by · Defensive backs coach
- 2016Daronte JonesSucceeded · Wisconsin
Tenure
11 seasons
- Defensive coordinator & defensive backs coachHead coach · 2017–20226
- WisconsinCoordinator · 2017–20226
- Denver BroncosHead coach · 2024–20252
- Buffalo BillsCoordinator · 2026 · current1
- Assistant head coach & pass game coordinatorHead coach · 20251
- Defensive backs coach & pass game coordinatorHead coach · 20241
- IllinoisAnalyst · 20231
- Interim head coachHead coach · 20221
- WisconsinHead coach · 20221
- Defensive backs coachHead coach · 20161
- WisconsinPosition coach · 20161
Pipeline
1 of 7 coordinators
- 1 seasonJohn Mortonunder at Denver Broncos 2024 · head coach at Denver Broncos2025
Moves
Nothing on the wire for Jim Leonhard. The wire carries moves published since the register went live; the career above is the record before that.