ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For the second time in three years, the Raiders are hiring a defensive coordinator from the Broncos to be their head coach.

In January of 2012, the Raiders hired Dennis Allen after he spent one year in Denver, coordinating a defense that helped the Broncos reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

Thursday, the Raiders announced that they've hired Jack Del Rio — who replaced Allen in Denver and spent the last three seasons coordinating the Broncos' defense — as their new head coach. Del Rio is a California native, growing up just southeast of Oakland and playing college football at USC.

In his first year with the Broncos (2012), Del Rio's defense ranked second in the league in total yards allowed and fourth in points allowed. In 2013, those rankings dropped to 19th and 22nd respectively before rising to third and 16th respectively in 2014. In 2013, Del Rio served as the Broncos' interim head coach for four games, going 3-1.

Del Rio spent nine years as the Jaguars head coach from 2003 to 2011, taking Jacksonville to the playoffs twice and finishing with a 68-71 record. The Raiders' hiring of Del Rio marks the third time a Broncos coordinator has become the head coach of another AFC West team in the last three years. Besides Allen-to-Oakland after the 2011 season, Mike McCoy became the Chargers' head coach after the 2012 season.