Two weeks after the New Orleans Saints fired longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael along with two other assistants following the team missing the playoffs for a third-straight season, Carmichael is reportedly headed to Denver to reunite with first-year Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
According to WWL Louisiana media partner Nola.com, the 52-year-old Carmichael is expected to fill a role on Payton's staff as a senior offensive assistant in Denver. The announcement is said to be expected at a later date.
Since joining the team as a quarterbacks coach in 2006, Carmichael spent 18 years with the Saints, most of that period under former head coach Payton (2006-2011, 2013-2021) and with quarterback Drew Brees under center (2006-2020).
If hired, Carmichael will join several former colleagues from Payton’s staff while with the Saints, including Joe Lombardi, Zach Strief, Declan Doyle, John Morton, Mike Westhoff, Joe Vitt, Michael Wilhoite and Dan Dalrymple.
The highlight of Carmichael's tenure overseeing New Orleans' offense came in 2012, when Payton was suspended in connection with the NFL's bounty investigation into under-the-table cash rewards offered to defensive players for big and sometimes injurious hits under former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
With Carmichael calling the plays and quarterback Drew Brees under center, the Saints ranked second in the NFL in offense that season with 410.9 yards per game.
But Carmichael's offenses have struggled recently, even with the acquisition of four-time Pro Bowl quarterback (2015-2017, 2022) Derek Carr last season.
The Saints were notorious for slow starts in 2023, not scoring a touchdown on an opening drive until their 16th game of the season against Tampa.
The Saints won four of their final five games, scoring 28, 24, 22, 23 and 48 points and showing an offensive spark behind Carr and young receivers Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and tight end Juwan Johnson. But the late surge was too late to save Carmichael.
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