Last week, the Detroit Lions parted ways with offensive coordinator John Morton after just one season with the team. But the long-time coach has already landed on his feet. According to Adam Schefter,
Morton has already joined the Denver Broncos to help them prepare for their playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills today.
Morton joining the Broncos isn’t particularly surprising given his history. Prior to joining the Lions in 2025, Morton served as Denver’s pass game coordinator for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In fact, his history with Broncos head coach Sean Payton dates back two decades when Morton was the Saints’ pass game coordinator and offensive assistant under Payton in 2006.
Things didn’t work out for Morton in his one year in Detroit, despite a previous working relationship with both coach Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff when Morton served as an offensive assistant for the Lions in 2022. Detroit saw their points per game (33.2 to 28.3) and yards per game (409.5 to 373.2) significantly decline under Morton, despite still ranking top-five in both metrics. About midway through the season, Campbell opted to take play-calling duties from Morton, leaving the veteran offensive coach to lean more on his weekly game-planning—a role Campbell still insisted was essential to the team.
Despite the lack of success in Detroit, it certainly does speak to Morton’s work ethic that he is so willing to jump right back into coaching before the 2025 postseason even ends.
The Broncos will kick off the Divisional Round of the 2025-26 NFL playoffs at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday against the Bills.
