Broncos Coach Fired By Sean Payton Appears To Be Very Salty

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jan 28, 2026 5:17 PM ET

Making it to the AFC Championship this season wasn't good enough for Sean Payton. Less than 48 hours after the Denver Broncos suffered a heartbreaking loss, he parted ways with three assistant coaches.

Payton made the tough decision to part ways with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. That news shocked plenty of Broncos fans in large part because Payton has worked with Lombardi for over a decade. For what it's worth though, Denver's offense ranked 10th in offensive EPA and 14th in scoring during the 2025 regular season.

In addition to firing Lombardi, the Broncos said farewell to wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch.

“I want to thank these coaches for playing an important role in elevating our program over the last three seasons,” Payton said. “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.”

Dec 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton stands on the sidelines during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Lombardi fires back.

On Wednesday, Lombardi addressed his fallout with Payton. He claims the head coach of the Broncos was "in one of those moods" prior to firing a few assistants.

"Sean decided to move on, and I guess that’s all there is to say. I don’t think it’s ever a surprise," Lombardi told The Denver Gazette. "I think you could tell he (Payton) was in one of those moods where he felt like some changes needed to be made and I guess he decided one of those was me. So I’ve been around him long enough to kind of read the tea leaves, I guess."

Despite those remarks, Lombardi made it clear that he doesn't feel like the scapegoat for this season.

"I don’t know why there needs to be a scapegoat, so I’m not sure what I’m being scapegoated for," Lombardi added. "I thought it was a good season. So, no, I didn’t feel like that in any way. I just think (Payton) just wanted to go in another direction."

It'll be interesting to see what changes Payton makes to Denver's staff this offseason. Perhaps he'll promote quarterbacks coach Davis Webb to offensive coordinator.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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