A 1994 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Lombardi played tight end for the Falcons under head coach Fisher DeBerry.

[3] In the last two years of his military time, he juggled his football and Air Force schedules as he was a volunteer coach at Dayton.

[9] On January 25, 2021, Lombardi was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers as their offensive coordinator under head coach Brandon Staley.

[10][11] He was fired on January 17, 2023, following an NFL Wild Card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars where the Chargers lost despite a 27-point lead at one point during the 2nd quarter.

[12] He was strongly criticized during the season as causing a talented offense to regress and limiting the performance of quarterback Justin Herbert.