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The Denver Broncos are taking a notable staff hit on offense, and it’s coming from the team they dispelled from the playoffs just two weeks ago.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Buffalo Bills — led by new head coach Joe Brady — have agreed to terms with Pete Carmichael Jr. to become their offensive coordinator, calling it Brady’s “first big hire.”
Carmichael spent the past two seasons in Denver as a senior offensive assistant, reuniting with Broncos head coach Sean Payton after a long run together in New Orleans.
Bills land Carmichael and Broncos lose a trusted Payton offensive voice
From the Broncos’ perspective, the headline is simple: Payton just lost an experienced, system-aligned offensive mind who was part of his inner orbit. It’s a notable hit right now, as the Broncos had changed up their coaching staff previously in the recent weeks. Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi after the Broncos lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship.
Denver officially hired Carmichael in February 2024, noting he spent 15 seasons as the Saints’ offensive coordinator and overlapped with Payton for 12 of those years. Carmichael was dismissed by the Saints in 2024, as then-head coach Dennis Allen chose to move on.
Even if Carmichael wasn’t the public face of Denver’s weekly game plan, his value to Payton was obvious when the Broncos first moved to add him. At the time, Payton was blunt about where his offense stood in Year 1 of his Denver tenure.
Payton said the Broncos weren’t “building on that foundation yet,” describing the offense as a “heavy-duty work in progress” while outlining the areas they needed to re-check: red zone, third down, and overall scheme review.
That comment matters here, because it helps explain why Payton wanted another long-time Saints lieutenant in the building: continuity, terminology, and a shared offensive language as Denver tried to level up into Year 2 and beyond.
Now, that continuity takes a hit, because Buffalo just pulled Carmichael away.
Why Joe Brady wanted Carmichael: the Saints connection is real
The other layer of this move is the reunion angle Rapoport noted.
Brady isn’t hiring Carmichael blind. Brady was with the New Orleans Saints in 2017 and 2018 as an offensive assistant, back when Carmichael was the team’s offensive coordinator.
Carmichael, 54, was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, so he has a stronger tie to area as he joins Buffalo. It’s also a logical step for Carmichael, who had previously served as an offensive coordinator for 15 years in New Orleans. Joining Brady and reclaiming a job title he previously helmed after a stint as an offensive assistant in Denver makes sense.
In other words: Brady is stepping into the top chair in Buffalo and immediately bringing in a veteran coach who has coordinated at a high level, and who understands the Saints/Payton-style offensive structure Brady grew up around early in his NFL career.
The Bills’ urgency also fits Brady’s moment. Reuters reported Buffalo promoted Brady to head coach after dismissing Sean McDermott. A brand-new head coach’s first staff hire often signals what he wants to build. Brady’s first big swing was adding a seasoned coordinator with deep experience in a system he’s already lived in.
Joe Brady was with the #Saints in 2017 and 2018 as a young offensive assistant and Pete Carmichael Jr was the OC. Now, Brady hires Carmichael to help run his offense. https://t.co/9DMjIgJHQt
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 30, 2026
What it means for Denver going forward
For the Broncos, Carmichael leaving doesn’t just create a vacancy on an org chart; it creates a specific kind of void.
Payton’s offenses thrive on detail: consistent teaching, consistent terms, and a shared weekly process. Carmichael was the type of coach who could function as an internal accelerator, someone Payton didn’t need to “translate” to, because they’d already spent years speaking the same football language.
Denver’s next move is straightforward: replace the role, either by promoting from within or importing another veteran who fits Payton’s framework. But it’s still a loss — especially because Carmichael’s experience wasn’t theoretical. The Broncos noted he held play-calling duties for the Saints in multiple seasons.
Buffalo gets a trusted offensive organizer for Brady’s first staff build.
Denver, meanwhile, has to keep building; without one of Payton’s long-time offensive lieutenants in the room.
Erik Anderson is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA, MLB and NFL for Heavy.com. He also focuses on the trading card market. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson
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