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The Denver Broncos shook up their coaching staff this week after a heartbreaking 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots.
Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch were fired Tuesday, even though the team finished 10th in receiving yards, 14th in points scored and won the AFC West with a 14-3 record.
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Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, center, confers with Denver Broncos quarterbacks Ian Book (5) and Blake Stenstrom (4) as they participate in drills during the NFL football team’s rookie minicamp on May 10, 2025, in Centennial, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Lombardi, whose grandfather was the great Vince Lombardi, had been the Broncos’ offensive coordinator since 2023. He opened up about his firing on Wednesday.
“Sean decided to move on, and I think that’s all there is to say,” he told the Denver Gazette. “I don’t think it’s ever a surprise (in the NFL). Not really. … I think you could tell he (Payton) was in one of those moods where he felt some changes needed to be made, and I think he decided one of them was me.
“So I’ve been around him long enough to read the tea leaves, I guess.”
Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos take the field prior to a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field At Mile High on December 21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
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Lombardi denied the claim that he was being used as a scapegoat. He told the outlet that he just thought Payton was looking to go in a “different direction.”
It’s unclear who the Broncos will target to fill the offensive coordinator spot.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton speaks during a news conference after the AFC Championship game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 25, 2026. (Garrett W. Ellwood/AP Photo)
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Davis Webb, a former NFL quarterback, has been highly sought after in this year’s coaching carousel. He currently serves as the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach.
