Report: Buffalo Bills hiring Pete Carmichael as offensive coordinator

The Buffalo Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach following their firing of Sean McDermott earlier this week. Now, Brady has found his first lieutenant.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Pete Carmichael will be Brady’s offensive coordinator. Pelissero noted that it’s a reunion of sorts, as Carmichael had Brady on staff for two seasons during his 15-year run as an offensive coordinator in New Orleans. After spending the last two seasons with Sean Payton in Denver, Carmichael will now head to Buffalo.

It’s a major boom for the Bills’ staff. Brady, after agreeing to a five-year deal to lead Buffalo, is hoping to bring the team over the hump and to the Super Bowl next season.

He’s been a member of Buffalo’s staff since 2022 and has served as its offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. He first gained national prominence as LSU‘s passing game coordinator & wide receivers coach on the historic 2019 National Championship team.

With Brady calling plays over the past two seasons, Buffalo posted a 28-11 record and won three postseason games. The Bills’ offense ranked Top 10 in both yards per game and points per game in both seasons.

“He has big shoes to fill,” former All-Pro center Jeff Saturday said on ‘First Take‘ shortly after the hire was announced. “I’m not surprised they went with Brady. I think when you saw the people they were interviewing, whether it was (Davis) Webb or (Brian) Daboll, if you’re going to go with an offensive guy, you’re going to go with the guy who’s been calling it and someone you’re comfortable with.

“I would say the hiring portion of this is going to be the key. Who is his defensive coordinator? Is he going to call plays? Even if he does call plays, who’s his OC going to be? That head coaching responsibility is going to require a ton of time away from being with players, which he does every day.”

Moreover, Brady is succeeding former head coach Sean McDermott, who led the Bills to a 106-58 record across nine seasons. Buffalo reached the AFC Championship Game twice, but was unable to break through for a Super Bowl appearance. This year’s loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round was the final straw, and now a new era begins with Brady at the helm.

NFL MVP Josh Allen was reportedly involved in deciding a new head coach, which made Brady a no-brainer. With the Pembroke Pines, FL native calling plays, Allen totaled 8,591 passing yards and 61 passing touchdowns with just 18 interceptions across the past two seasons.

He also recorded 1,314 more yards and 30 scores on the ground. He was named MVP in 2024 and has established himself as one of the league’s premier players.

— On3’s Daniel Hager contributed to this article.