Broncos fire OC Joe Lombardi after AFC Championship loss

The Denver Broncos are still licking their wounds from a crushing AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots, but the front office is already turning its head toward next season. On Tuesday, that evaluation came with a major change to the coaching staff.

The Broncos have officially fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, according to Tom Pelisssero of NFL Network.

Lombardi had been the offensive coordinator in Denver for three seasons after Sean Payton brought him on staff. Lombardi spent a lot of time working under Payton in New Orleans, so the pairing made a lot of sense. However, the Broncos’ offense was wildly inconsistent in 2025 despite the team finishing with a 14-3 record and earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and now things will have a bit of a different look in 2026.

Of course, Lombardi isn’t the one calling the plays in Denver, as Payton has always been the architect of all of his offenses dating back to his Saints days. However, it appears Lombardi is the one taking the fall for how the offense performed this season and in Denver’s playoff loss with Jarrett Stidham playing quarterback.

Denver still has another well-respected offensive mind on staff in quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, a young assistant who has even garnered some head coaching interest in this cycle. Webb would now be an obvious candidate for a promotion to offensive coordinator in Denver if he doesn’t land a head coaching gig, but it remains to be seen what direction the offense will go in.

No matter who ends up being the OC for the Broncos, there is still reason for optimism in Denver coming out of a successful 2025 season. Bo Nix improved in year two, the offensive line should still be mostly intact heading into next season, and the receiving core should mostly be back as well.

Running back JK Dobbins, who was sorely missed in the playoffs, is a free agent, so it remains to be seen whether he is back in the Mile High City next season. Regardless, it’s clear that Payton is not satisfied with the offensive production in 2025 and is working to improve it heading into next season.