Broncos fire offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi after three seasons in Denver

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The fallout from the Broncos’ AFC Championship Game loss now includes a firing.

Denver dismissed offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Tuesday, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported.

The Broncos have since announced Lombardi’s dismissal. The team also announced they have parted ways with WRs coach Keary Colbert and CBs coach Addison Lynch.

Lombardi’s stint in Denver ends after three seasons and includes a disappointing conclusion. The Broncos mustered just seven points, failed to convert a crucial fourth down and finished with 181 yards in their AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, a contest played amid a second-half snowstorm with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham starting for an injured Bo Nix.

That result — plus an inconsistent 2025 offensive showing in which Lombardi’s unit never quite found a rhythm to match Denver’s stellar defense — prompted coach Sean Payton to part with his longtime lieutenant.

Tuesday’s news also came as Broncos passing game coordinator Davis Webb — who has been a popular name this hiring cycle — interviews for the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach position. As Rapoport reported on NFL Network, “things don’t happen in a vacuum.”

Over three seasons, Lombardi directed a steadily improving offense. Denver jumped from 26th in total offense in 2023 to 19th in 2024 and 10th in 2025.

Context matters, though: 2023 was the final season with the failed Russell Wilson experiment, 2024 was Nix’s rookie season, and 2025 represented a step into a promising future.

It won’t include Lombardi, who was shown the door by the same coach he’s worked under for 12 seasons (in New Orleans and Denver). Payton will aim to push his Broncos forward by finding a new offensive mind to replace Lombardi and work in tandem with the longtime play-caller.

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