Denver Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton wasted no time making changes after their season ended with a loss to the Patriots on Sunday. Just two days later, Payton announced a major coaching shakeup, parting ways with key members of his staff, including his long-time offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

“I want to thank these coaches for playing an important role in elevating our program over the last three seasons,” Sean Payton mentioned in the team’s press release on Tuesday. “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 Colbert, and Addison Lynch’s hard work and wish them all the best in the future.”

Lombardi spent over a decade working for Payton. That includes the last three seasons in Denver, as well as the time he spent in New Orleans. However, though the Broncos went 14-3 this season, a rather respectable record, along with earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the offense simply wasn’t consistent enough. So, Payton will look for a fresh name to help him improve the unit around quarterback Bo Nix.

If the team has learned anything this season, it is that Denver’s offense stalled when it mattered the most. They managed to score just 7 points in the AFC Championship game. To make matters worse, Nix missed that game with a season-ending ankle injury.

But Payton’s frustration didn’t stop with the offense’s overall production under Lombardi. In the season-end presser, he also pointed to technical issues in Denver’s wide receiver room under Keary Colbert, especially when it came to drops.

“Yes, there were too many [drops] even down the stretch,” Payton said. “The thing with the draft is we’ve invested, and I like the players in that room. 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.”

According to SportRadar, the receiving corps’ unreliability was a glaring issue, as the Broncos dropped 42 catches this season. That was 10.1 percent of catchable passes. While Marvin Mims Jr. was a bright spot with only one drop, the unit’s overall inconsistency was a clear factor in Colbert’s dismissal.

Plus, there’s Sean Payton’s decision to move on from Addison Lynch, despite Denver’s cornerbacks group having some real bright spots this past season. Under Lynch, Denver’s cornerbacks, Ja’Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, and Patrick Surtain II, all played well. McMillian even made several key plays, including his interception of a pivotal pass from Bills QB Josh Allen late in the Divisional Round game. 

But under Lynch, Denver’s secondary also could not force many turnovers, finishing the season with just 10 interceptions. And it could be a factor in the franchse’s decision to fire Lynch.

Colbert and Lombardi joined the Broncos back in February 2023, while Lynch arrived a month later. But Lombardi’s time working with Sean Payton goes way back. Why did the head coach decide to move on from such a trusted coaching staff?

Did Sean Payton fire his OC to keep another coordinator in Denver?

The timing of Joe Lombardi’s dismissal doesn’t feel random in Denver. The Broncos’ quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator, Davis Webb, has been drawing serious interest for head coaching jobs around the league. Webb has already interviewed for the vacant HC position with the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Las Vegas Raiders. If he doesn’t land one of those head coaching jobs, could Sean Payton be lining him up for a promotion?

Shortly after Lombardi’s firing, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that this situation is directly tied to the Raiders’ pursuit of Davis Webb.

“The Broncos are going to hire another offensive coordinator, and they need to run a process. Based on NFL rules, Denver Broncos can’t just say, ‘Ok, Davis Webb, it is your job. What they can do is incentivize him to stay and potentially end up giving him the job,” Rapoport said on The Insiders.

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“The fact that he is in the building right now for a rival interviewing for a head coaching opportunity and a strong candidate, these things are all related. Now, we’ll see where it shakes out for the Las Vegas Raiders and for the Broncos, but things do not happen in a vacuum. Certainly, they are all related.”

While Webb has earned league-wide interest, his experience working with Denver’s offense also makes him a strong internal candidate to become Sean Payton’s next OC. But the Raiders are clearly trying to tempt him away. And according to CBS reporter Tracy Wolfson, Webb reportedly had a positive interview with the Raiders.

“Had a chance to speak with Davis Webb this week and in one conversation you can see why he’s a hot name. Sean Payton hired him after one conversation. Webb enjoyed his first int with Raiders and said talking with Brady was awesome. As for the Bills, his unique relationship with Josh could make Buffalo an interesting landing spot,” Wolfson wrote in an X post on January 26. 

So, Webb seems like a man who has at least considered the move to Las Vegas. But Sean Payton doesn’t seem thrilled about the idea of losing Webb. When asked about Webb potentially leaving for Las Vegas, Payton said in the season-end presser, “It would be a pain in the a– for him [Webb].”  

If Webb takes the Raiders job, he’ll have to face the AFC West teams coached by Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh, and Payton himself at least twice every season. On top of that, the Raiders’ roster still has plenty of holes, even if they’re expected to draft Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza this year. So, Payton’s message to Webb is clear: stay put in Denver.