Sean Payton’s assembly of his coaching staff with the Denver Broncos continued on Thursday. The Broncos made headlines by hiring former head coach Vance Joseph to now be Payton’s defensive coordinator. Payton reportedly made another move on Thursday as he hired a former assistant coach from a rival team.
According to Mike Klis of 9News, Payton hired Joe Lombardi to his staff. Lombardi, who worked previously with Payton in New Orleans from 2016-20, worked for the rival Los Angeles Chargers the last two seasons.
“Joe Lombardi to join Broncos’ offensive staff,” Klis tweeted. “Former AIr Force tight end and grandson of legendary Packers coach will serve third stint as Sean Payton assistant.”
Joe Lombardi to join Broncos' offensive staff – Former Air Force tight end and grandson of legendary Packers coach will serve third stint as Sean Payton assistant. https://t.co/MfMuDmFmQT via @9NEWS #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) February 23, 2023
Klis reported that Lombardi will have a “coordinator-type role” on the team on offense. His position is yet to be officially declared.
Lombardi previously worked under Sean Payton in 2007 when he was an offensive assistant. He worked until 2013 and spent five seasons as a quarterbacks coach. Payton re-hired Lombardi in 2017 as quarterbacks coach as well.
He’s also worked for the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions.
The Chargers dismissed Lombardi after a somewhat disappointing two-year stint working with first-round pick Justin Herbert.
Payton is hoping to take the Broncos back to relevancy. The team hasn’t made the postseason since they won Super Bowl 50 in February 2016. He’s made some strong hires thus far, many with plenty of coaching experience.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022