For decades, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been one of the foremost play-callers and offensive minds in the NFL. The decision by Payton and the Broncos to fire offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi could push him into uncharted waters in the 2026 season.
There are some out there who believe that Payton would sooner be done with coaching than relinquish play-calling duties, but the move away from his old friend Lombardi could be indicative that the winds of change are swirling.
Nothing is forever in the NFL, and Payton knows he has a fully capable candidate on his staff. Could the decision to fire Joe Lombardi not only be a move to keep a valuable assistant, but Payton delegating his duty as the offensive play-caller for the first time...ever?
Sean Payton's decision to fire Joe Lombardi raises questions about future Broncos play-caller
While the prevailing sentiment will undoubtedly be that it's nonsense to think Payton would give up his role as the play caller, he had a quote from January 15 that might at least make you think:
"The thing that I have to continue that changes as you get older is you still have to be quick. Play just ran, next play. I said this. When I was younger, we’d run a reverse on the eight-yard line, and I think nothing of it. As you get older, you think about all the ramifications. So I have to also remove that. It was said as you get older, maybe you don’t drive in the rain at night. You begin to… I can’t let that happen as a play caller. That’s something that I have to mentally make sure it’s quick. It’s quick and decisive, and it’s daring at the right time. Not reckless, but those are things that I find that are challenges compared to when I was 33 in New York or whatever."
- Sean Payton (from January 15 press conference)
The TLDR version of what Payton is saying here is that he's not operating at the same capacity now as he has previously. There is a lot going on when it comes to being an NFL head coach and play-caller, and Payton has been a lot more introspective lately.
Maybe he's starting to realize that this is something he can delegate. Or maybe we're not reading into that quote correctly.
Whatever the case, Payton and the Broncos will now be on the hunt for a new offensive coordinator. The obvious in-house candidate is Davis Webb, the quarterbacks coach, followed by offensive line coach Zach Strief. In fact, it very much felt like the timing of Lombardi's firing felt like a deliberate response by the Broncos, who might have to fend off the division rival Raiders to keep Webb around.
A promotion in title would be a great place to start, but does Webb want more responsibilities than that? It wouldn't be surprising.
If that is the case, it would be the first time in his head coaching tenure that Payton would be delegating play-calling duties. And that would undoubtedly be a very difficult thing for him to give up, but it might help with the big picture of the Broncos being able to win the Super Bowl.
The situation that is fresh in everyone's mind is the 4th-and-1 situation, where Payton has been the harshest critic of the play that was called and even the decision to go for it in the first place. In fact, he said he didn't know which he regretted more, but then went on to put a lot more emphasis on how much he regretted the play call.
If the Broncos do hire Webb as their offensive coordinator, it feels like he is the one candidate who could truly prompt a never-before-seen change from Payton.