Carmichael is a long-time Payton associate, spending 15 seasons as the Saints’ offensive coordinator and overlapping with Sean Payton for 12 years. He joined the Broncos in February 2024, helping maintain continuity in Payton’s offense after Denver’s early-season overhaul, a strategy Payton described as a “heavy-duty work in progress” in Year 1.
The Bills’ move is underscored by the Saints connection: Brady was with New Orleans as an offensive assistant in 2017–2018 when Carmichael ran the Saints’ offense. By hiring Carmichael, Buffalo brings a veteran coordinator who is steeped in the Saints/Payton language, and who can help implement Brady’s system from day one.
For Denver, Carmichael’s departure creates a void in a room designed around Payton’s continuity—terminology, teaching cadence, and weekly process. The Broncos now face filling a role that often functioned as an internal accelerator, with play-calling duties at times handled by Carmichael in multiple Saints seasons.
From Buffalo’s perspective, Carmichael’s extensive play-calling experience and familiarity with the Payton-derived offensive approach provide a seasoned, trusted voice for Brady as he builds his first staff. The addition signals a focus on structure, detailed teaching, and consistency in the Bills’ offensive language.
The broader context is that this move comes as Brady reshapes Buffalo’s offense, while Denver navigates staffing changes to maintain Payton’s framework. The ripple effects will play out in how quickly Denver stabilizes on offense and how Buffalo’s unit grows under a new, veteran coordinator who has worked at the highest levels of the Saints’ system.
