Former NFL coach Jay Gruden had an interesting reaction after the Denver Broncos fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Tuesday.
Lombardi, 54, had two stints under head coach Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints (2007-2013 and 2016-2020), and he followed the coach to Denver in 2023, only to be fired after three seasons with the Broncos.
Gruden, 58, tweeted this message after the news broke of Lombardi being fired: "Damn. Joe Lombardi got fired . OC at Broncos. Tough business. Lost in AFC championships with back up qb. Guess he made the call on 4th-2 not to kick field goal. Got a tee time at noon tomorrow joe. Give me a call."
Damn. Joe Lombardi got fired . OC at Broncos. Tough business. Lost in AFC championships with back up qb. Guess he made the call on 4th-2 not to kick field goal. Got a tee time at noon tomorrow joe. Give me a call.
— Jay Gruden (@Coach_JayGruden) January 28, 2026
Gruden appeared to be taking a shot at Payton, who calls plays for Denver's offense and opted to go for it on 4th-and-1 in the second quarter instead of attempting a short field goal to take a 10-0 lead. The Broncos ended up turning the ball over on downs and they went on to lose, 10-7.
Gruden served as Washington's head coach from 2014-2019, going 35-49-1. His most recent position in the NFL was a consultant role with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Jay Gruden reacts to Broncos firing Joe Lombardi
