The Denver Broncos made the decision to part ways with three assistant coaches on Tuesday, hours after head coach Sean Payton held his end of the year press conference.
Denver Broncos part ways with three assistant coaches on Tuesday
After a 14-3 regular season and playoff win, the Denver Broncos made the decision on Tuesday to part ways with several assistant coaches.
The first move from Payton on Tuesday was to fire offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who has been Payton’s right hand on the offensive staff. Lombardi was the titled OC for three years here in Denver.
After alluding earlier in his press conference to drops by wide receivers this year being linked to catching the ball a certain way, it was also announced that the Broncos were moving on from wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, who came onto the staff with Payton in 2023.
“Look, we drafted to it, and I like who we’ve drafted to it,” Payton said of the receiver room. “Yes, there were too many [drops] even down the stretch. The thing with the draft, man, we’ve invested, and I like the players in that room. We’ve got different… We have speed, we have size, we have all the things I’m used to [and] you’d want to have in a good offense. But I think that there’s a proper way to catch a football, and most of the time, it’s with your thumbs together, not the other way around. The other way around, I’m serious, only exists when the ball is below your belly button. Even the deep balls should be caught with your thumbs together. So we have to be better at that.”
Hours after saying this, the team moved in a different direction.
Probably one of the more surprising coaching moves the Broncos made was the team’s decision to part ways with cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch, whose unit saw Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, and Ja’Quan McMillian thrive this season.
Rookie Jahdae Barron also stepped up alongside second-year cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine at various times this season. Unfortunately for Denver, the secondary didn’t force a lot of takeaways or interceptions this season, but it’s unclear if that was a factor in Payton’s decision.
“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.”
As it stands, the Broncos’ current vacancies revolve around offensive coordinator, wide receiver coach, and cornerbacks coach going into 2026.
Payton’s motto has always been slow to hire, quick to fire when it comes to his staff.
