Report: Broncos fire offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi
The Denver Broncos have fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, according to multiple reports. The move came after the Broncos scored seven points in the loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.
It’s not clear why the Broncos fired Joe Lombardi since head coach Sean Payton calls the offensive plays. Lombardi joined the Broncos’ coaching staff in 2023, the same year Payton was named head coach.
Before joining the Broncos, Lombardi was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers (2021-2022). Before that, the 54-year-old was part of Payton’s coaching staff in New Orleans, serving as a quarterbacks coach from 2016 to 2020. That was Lombardi’s second stint with Payton and the Saints, as his first was from 2007 to 2013, and he worked as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. In 2014, Lombardi left New Orleans to be the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions for two seasons.
The Broncos entered Sunday’s AFC Championship game without their starting quarterback. Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the divisional round playoff game, and Jarett Stidham became the starter. Ahead of the AFC title game, Lombardi shared his thoughts on Stidham.
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Joe Lombardi is the grandson of an NFL legend
“I thought if you watched training camp, if you watched certainly the preseason games, he was outstanding. He had one of the better training camps of any quarterback,” Lombardi said, via transcript from the team (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk). “If you’re watching it, I’m not sure he had a bad day. Just seeing him perform very well, and you wish you had a couple of warm-up games that he wasn’t coming off of running the practice squad, but he’s a vet, he’s a professional, and he’s right.
“The way he does prepare, which is hard to do for 18 straight weeks, 18 straight games when you’re the backup, but when he’s running plays, calling our plays in a walkthrough period, every week there’s never hesitation. He knows it cold, so no concerns there. I’m excited to watch him play.”
Lombardi is the grandson of legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi. During his time as an NFL head coach, Vince Lombardi led the Green Packers to five league championships, including the first two Super Bowls.