Denver Broncos' Head Coach Mike Shanahan and Defensive Coordinator Jim Bates came to a mutual agreement to part ways Tuesday. Bates, who was a head coach candidate when he was with the Green Bay Packers, was hired last year to turn around the Broncos defense. Instead, the team went backwards instead of forwards. Bates and Shanahan met Monday and came to a resolution late Monday night. The Broncos signed Bates to a three-year, $3.9 million contract last year. "I'm very thankful for the opportunity and very saddened that things did not work out," Bates said in statement. "I had; and the final decision, for the Broncos and for me, was to step aside."