Paxton Lynch stood in front of his locker at the Broncos’ facility with a half-filled garbage bag at his side and a look of shock on his face. The feeling was shared by others in the room as players cleaned out their belongings and turned in their hefty playbooks before embarking on an extended offseason.

The Broncos’ quest for a Super Bowl repeat fell short, along with their coach’s tenure.

Gary Kubiak resigned that Monday, a day after the season-ending victory over Oakland, ensuring an offseason of uncertainty and a second year of learning and change for Lynch as a new coaching staff, led by Vance Joseph, would soon roll in.

Out were not only Kubiak, but also offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp, with whom Lynch spent most of his hours learning as a rookie.

In were offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, two former Broncos who returned to Colorado to revamp the offense.

Lynch, the 6-foot-7 quarterback general manager John Elway traded up to nab at No. 26 in last year’s draft, had just begun to feel comfortable with Kubiak’s complex offense that required six-inch binders to explain in full.

While he may not have to start completely anew, more changes are all but guaranteed.

“Yeah, I’m sure there will be some kind of changes,” Lynch told The Denver Post, while in Los Angeles for Panini America and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. “They’re going to change the offense because a new offensive coordinator will want to run his stuff. I’m sure there will be some changes.

“It’s different, not knowing what you’re going to do when you come back, and for the first few weeks training while not really knowing what the offense is going to be like until they finalize things on their end. But you can always work on your mechanical stuff and throwing and footwork without knowing anything.”

Since Joseph’s arrival earlier this month, the Broncos’ offensive priorities have been two-fold: figuring out how to rev up the offense as well as continuing to develop quarterbacks Trevor Siemian and Lynch, who differ in size, strengths and experience.

“I’m hoping that between Mike and Bill and their experience on raising quarterbacks that both of those guys can hit their peaks,” Joseph said. “That’s what’s important for young quarterbacks, to give them a chance to grow as much as they can so they can be productive NFL quarterbacks. Most young quarterbacks miss steps or they go through so many systems that they can never hit their peak. Our goal here is to have those two kids be the best they can be.”

McCoy has a track record of tailoring his system to fit players’ strengths, as he did with Tim Tebow and later with Peyton Manning, and as he did for four years as the Chargers’ head coach.

The offense of 2017 may be simplified, in comparison to Kubiak’s system, and may incorporate parts of the power-run scheme. But the up-tempo offense will also require the quarterback to have the knowledge and experience to be comfortable calling plays at the line of scrimmage.

Last season, in Kubiak’s system, Lynch worked primarily under center, requiring an overhaul of his footwork and routine. In college at Memphis, he ran a spread offense that exploited his strong arm but typically had him in shotgun.

“It was very different for me, especially coming from the offense I came from at Memphis,” Lynch said. “There weren’t a lot of similarities in the offense. Virtually none. It was a lot different for me, having to learn new terminology and new plays. It was difficult for me, yes, but by the end of the season I felt I had a pretty good grasp on it.”

In three games (two starts), Lynch completed 59 percent of his passes for 497 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while taking nine sacks. His beginning proved promising, as he took over for an injured Siemian in the second half at Tampa Bay and guided the Broncos to a victory. But his final outing, in Jacksonville, exposed weaknesses (104 passing yards, zero touchdowns) and the flaws of the Broncos’ offense as a whole.

As a first-round pick, the expectations for Lynch were high. The success of Dak Prescott, a fourth-rounder who supplanted Tony Romo in Dallas, inevitability raised them, fair or not.

But Lynch’s inexperience cannot be overlooked or overstated. This offseason, he plans to train in Florida before returning to Colorado to fight for the Broncos’ starting job. He and Siemian will engage in another quarterback competition, under the watch of new coaches well aware of their differences.

“The quarterback position is the key component to having a winning football team,” Joseph said. “With Trevor, it’s a guy that’s smart. Great footwork, great detail in his game. You can see it how he plays. He makes little error with the football. Then you’ve got Paxton, who’s a big, tall slinger of the football, athletic. They’re so different, so hopefully we can kind of build a system around both of those guys and have them compete, and whoever is better, plays. That’s fair.”

The Broncos may bring in a veteran to add experience and depth to the quarterback room, but the plan, for now, is not to acquire one in particular — Romo — who is said to covet Denver but is tied to a massive contract.

For now, the Broncos like their two quarterbacks and their futures. They especially like the money allotted to them.

“Last year it was the biggest concern. This year it is not,” Elway said at Kubiak’s resignation. “I think that we have two young guys that have a lot of talent, have a lot to work with and are both competitive and both want to win. The competition that we’re going to have between those two is only going to make them both better.”

Lynch concurred, acknowledging the challenges he faced in year one and others that lay ahead in year two.

“It’s a lot different from the college level on every aspect, just the amount you have to know. But I had Trevor and, at first, I had Mark (Sanchez) there too to help me through the process. I enjoyed it and I learned a lot, but I’m ready for my next season.”