After a rough first season with the Denver Broncos that culminated in a fairly embarrassing break with quarterback Russell Wilson at the end of the season, head coach Sean Payton is adding another familiar face to his staff.
According to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com, the Broncos are expected to hire former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Per the report, he is expected to join the team as a senior offensive assistant.
Carmichael was one of Payton’s top staffers for the entirety of his tenure with the New Orleans Saints. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2009 and served in the role past Payton’s retirement and up until his dismissal after the end of the 2023 season
Now it appears that Payton wants to reunite with his longtime second-in-command of the offense.
Breaking: Sean Payton’s Broncos expected to hire former Saints OC Pete Carmichael. Here’s his new role. https://t.co/47b1z9LQ29 via @nolanews
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) January 30, 2024
The Denver Broncos went 8-9 in Payton’s first year at the helm. They have not had a winning record since 2016 and have not been to the playoffs since their Super Bowl win with Payton Manning the year before.
With Russell Wilson likely on his way out, Payton will probably get to pick a new quarterback that is more to his style of playing football.
While it won’t be Drew Brees (as far as we know), maybe the new Broncos quarterback will make the team look a little more like what we’re used to seeing in a Sean Payton offense.