Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton has secured a new NFL gig, in a place and role he's already familiar with.
According to ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, Morton is back with the Broncos as the team's passing game coordinator.
With the hiring, Morton is back in the same role he had under Sean Payton and the Broncos during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, before the Lions hired him to be their OC. Morton also held the same job under Payton in 2006, during Payton's first season with the New Orleans Saints.
After the Lions formally fired Morton at the conclusion of their 2025 season, Morton rejoined the Broncos for their playoff run as an offensive consultant. The #1 seeded Broncos fell short of a Super Bowl LX appearance, after the team was forced to start quarterback Jarrett Stidham after Bo Nix injured his ankle near the end of their AFC divisional round victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Morton looks to rebound after his failures in Detroit
Morton's time in Detroit was marred by questionable play-calling, communication issues, and underutilization of talent like wide receiver Jameson Williams. After a post-bye week loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Morton was stripped of his play-calling duties, with head coach Dan Campbell taking over.
Despite being 5-3 and boasting one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league at the time, various missed opportunities, such as frequent failed third and fourth-down conversions, held the Lions back from the well-oiled machine they had been under former OC Ben Johnson.
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In rejoining the Broncos, Morton will have the opportunity to leave his mark on a team that went 14-3 this past season, with a young QB who has led the Broncos to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. Expectations will be high for the Brocnos, much like they were during his time with the Lions.
Fortunately for the Broncos, Morton isn't joining them to call plays. Payton already does that. He won't be running the offense as a whole, either, as Payton recently promoted pass game coordinator and QB coach Davis Webb to the OC position after firing former Lions OC Joe Lombardi.
Still, Morton brings to the Broncos nearly 30 years of coaching experience, which absolutely can be impactful for a young offense.
The Lions won't be playing the Broncos in the 2026 season, barring a Super Bowl LXI matchup, so everyone will have to wait for a revenge game. Until then, it'll be interesting to see how the Broncos' passing offense performs with Morton back on its staff and how that compares to the Lions now being led by Drew Petzing.