In his first official decision since being named head coach, Joe Brady is bringing a familiar face to help lead the team’s offense in the upcoming campaign. He’s narrowed down the search for his successor and is set to hire a former Denver Broncos senior offensive assistant for the Bills’ offensive coordinator role.

Buffalo is hiring Joe Brady’s former superior and longtime New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator, Pete Carmichael.

NFL Network was the first to report the news of Carmichael’s hiring, who had previously worked as a long-time assistant under Sean Payton and spent the previous two seasons as the Denver Broncos‘ senior offensive assistant. However, it was during Payton’s head coaching tenure in New Orleans, where Carmichael was the Saints’ offensive coordinator, when Brady joined the staff as an offensive assistant.

Pete Carmichael has been a coaching veteran in the NFL with 26 seasons of experience.

He started in 2000 as a tight ends coach in Cleveland, before joining the Saints as their offensive coordinator from 2009 to 2023. The 54-year-old ended his recent stint in Denver with Payton firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, leading to a shuffle in the team’s backroom staff.

With this hire, Joe Brady is moving towards building his preferred coaching staff to maximize the talents of QB1 Josh Allen and the Bills offense, which has averaged 29.6 points per game (2nd) and averaged 367.7 total yards per game (3rd) since 2024. Brady alluded to his hiring philosophy in his introductory press conference, where he also referenced the Saints’ coaching staff around Drew Brees.

“Every decision this organization makes, it’s with the thought of Josh Allen and the players in mind,” Joe Brady said. “I’d be crazy not to. I was a part of incredible organizations in New Orleans with those surrounding Drew Brees. And there wasn’t a decision that was made without Drew Brees being thought about … Everything I think about is trying to find ways to put him (Allen) in a position to have success.”

With Pete Carmichael as the OC, Drew Brees grew into an NFL icon as he earned 13 Pro Bowl nods while throwing for 68,010 yards and 491 touchdowns in 228 games. Carmichael also won Super Bowl XLIV in what was his first season since being promoted from quarterbacks coach to the OC chair, and will hope to replicate this feat in Buffalo with Josh Allen.

However, despite this hire, Joe Brady is set to continue as the Bills’ offensive play-caller, as he revealed in his first press conference as head coach.

Joe Brady to continue calling plays despite Carmichael hire

Joe Brady confirmed that he will continue as the offensive play-caller for the Bills, despite taking up the head coaching role. Brady previously called plays from the field when he was working for the Carolina Panthers as an offensive coordinator. Similarly, he was also on the field as the Bills’ QB coach in 2022 and for some part of the 2023 season.

“Not an element that concerns me. I’m actually excited to get back down there,” he said. “I have a passion for calling plays. I also understand that if we’re ever in a situation where my calling plays are not the best thing for the organization, then I won’t do that. But I do believe in the flow of the game and the understanding of how things are going to get played and putting together a system in place for that.”

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This setup should allow Brady and Carmichael to work well together as they did in New Orleans from 2017 to 2018, when Brady served as an offensive assistant.

That prior connection should help make the transition smoother as the Bills look to retool their offense heading into the 2026 season. As Joe Brady builds his desired coaching staff, the Bills Mafia will hope that their new head coach can take their beloved franchise to the promised land and finally bring home the Lombardi Trophy.