Denver Broncos fire offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, plus 2 other assistant coaches
The Broncos announced on Tuesday evening that they've fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, as well as their wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and their cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch.
It comes only a short time after the New England Patriots knocked Denver out of the playoffs in the AFC Championship with a 10-7 win at snowy Mile High. With Sunday's loss, the Broncos (15-4) finished one step shy of fulfilling Sean Payton's preseason prediction of a trip to Super Bowl LX.
Two reporters from NFL Network -- Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero -- were the first to report that the Broncos were parting ways with Lombardi.
Lombardi, 54, has been the offensive coordinator for the Broncos for three seasons.
Although they secured the AFC's No. 1 seed, the Broncos offense had troubles at times during the season. However, they were almost always propelled by a dominant defense. That trend continued on Sunday at Mile High, but it didn't lead to a win. With backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham thrust into the starting role after Bo Nix broke a bone in his ankle at the end of the divisional playoff win against the Buffalo Bills, Denver's offense frequently failed to convert on third downs and looked stagnant in both the running game and the passing game. Stidham went 17 for 31 with 133 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception on Sunday.
The team shared the following statement from head coach Sean Payton: "I want to thank these coaches for playing an important role in elevating our program over the last three seasons. I've been fortunate to work with Joe Lombardi for 15 years and am particularly grateful for his many contributions to our success as offensive coordinator. We sincerely appreciate Joe, Keary and Addison's hard work and wish them all the best in the future."
It appears that while the offensive coordinator is gone, the Broncos might not be losing their defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to a head coaching job. Linebacker Jonathon Cooper appeared to let slip news that Joseph was staying in Denver after the conclusion of the AFC Championship game.
"He's the best D.C. I've had. I'm happy that he's ...," Cooper said, catching himself mid-word. "I don't know exactly what to say because I don't know all that he said. But he's a great coach and I'm happy to have him."
Joseph interviewed for several of the 10 jobs that came open this cycle but he likely would be back in demand a year from now — and have a deeper college QB class to help turn around a franchise in 2027.