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The most coveted coaching job of the 2017 NFL offseason might involve a job that no one thought would come open.

MMQB.com's Albert Breer recently speculated that Broncos coach Gary Kubiak could pull off a surprise retirement at the end of the 2016 season, which might sound crazy, except that Kubiak did nothing to squash the speculation when he was asked about it this week.

During his final regular season press conference on Friday, Kubiak was asked if he felt good enough to continue coaching after the health scare he suffered earlier in the year. Instead of answering with a simple, "I feel good and I'll definitely be back next season," Kubiak sidestepped the question and left the door open for anything.

"You guys know, I love this league," Kubiak said when asked about his future, via the team's official website. "I love the Broncos. I love the work. You know, I'm all in on the Raiders right now. There will be time for reflection and all that stuff next week, but right now it's time to focus on what we're doing."

Retirement speculation comes up all the time, but usually, most coaches will kill it right away. Marvin Lewis and Bruce Arians have both insisted that they'll be returning in 2017 despite speculation that they might consider retirement or be forced out (in Lewis' case).

Kubiak didn't do that though. The idea of Kubiak stepping down isn't as crazy as it sounds, either.

For one, he's famously had to deal with with some in-season health issues. Kubiak was hospitalized following the Broncos' 23-16 loss to the Falcons in Week 5, which caused him to miss the team's Week 6 game against the Chargers.

That hospitalization marked the second time in three years that Kubiak has dealt with a health issue during the NFL season. Back in 2013, when he was coaching the Texans, Kubiak fainted on the sideline just before halftime of a game in Houston. After being admitted to the hospital for that episode, doctors found that Kubiak had suffered a transient ischemic attack, or a mini-stroke.

Another sign that Kubiak might be undecided about his future is the status of Wade Phillips. The Broncos defensive coordinator has a contract that expires after this season, and it hasn't been renewed yet. If Kubiak stays, then Phillips would likely stay. However, if Kubiak retires, it's possible the Broncos could let Phillips walk and let a new coach bring in his own defensive coordinator.

Kubiak did touch on Phillips' contract during his press conference. The Broncos coach said it would be addressed after the season.

"We think the world of Wade. Everybody knows the job that Wade has done," Kubiak said. "Those are things that will be addressed after we get through this week, as we head into the offseason, but Wade's a tremendous person and a tremendous football coach."

Anyway, if Kubiak were to call it quits, the coaching job in Denver would definitely vault to the top on the list of best NFL openings. Although Los Angeles is attractive -- and Buffalo and Jacksonville also have openings -- it's hard to top a team in Denver that's just one season removed from winning the Super Bowl.