Pete Carmichael, Former Saints offensive coordinator, to join the Broncos
The Denver Broncos have hired Pete Carmichael, the former offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints, according to a story published on Tuesday by Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. Alongside former New Orleans assistant coach Joe Lombardi, the offensive coordinator for the Broncos, and former Saints head coach Sean Payton, he will assume an undisclosed role on Denver’s offensive staff.
The 52-year-old Carmichael was let go by the Saints two weeks ago. During his eighteen seasons with New Orleans, he served as offensive coordinator for fifteen of them. It’s the longest tenure in NFL history for a coordinator, either on defense or offense.
Carmichael worked with the San Diego Chargers for four years as an offensive assistant before moving to New Orleans. Drew Brees was the quarterback for San Diego at the time. Before joining the Chargers, he had played a season with the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins.
Brees and Carmichael were signed by Sean Payton, the new head coach of the Saints, upon his hiring in 2006. Lombardi became a staff member in 2007, one year later. In 2009, Carmichael received a promotion to offensive coordinator and assisted Brees, Payton, and the Saints in winning Super Bowl XLIV.
The Saints’ offenses, spearheaded by Brees, Payton, and Carmichael, were among the most successful in NFL history. After the 2020 season, Brees announced his retirement, while Payton resigned after the 2021 campaign. Following Payton’s exit, Carmichael took over as the only play-caller, a position he had held for the previous two seasons.
In Payton’s first season with the team, 2023, Denver finished 26th in terms of total offense. The Saints finished ninth in points scored and 14th in overall offense under Carmichael. In the 51 games since Brees’ retirement, New Orleans has used six different quarterbacks at quarterback.
Payton has a number of former New Orleans assistants joining him in Denver, Carmichael being the most recent. The 2024–25 season will see the Saints host the Broncos.
