Former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator is expected to land a job on the offensive coaching staff of the Denver Broncos, multiple sources said Tuesday.
Carmichael's role has not been formally determined, but he is expected to fill a role as a senior offensive assistant in Denver, where he will reconnect with head coach , the man who hired him to join his inaugural Saints staff in 2006.
The move is expected to be officially announced at a later date.
"Pete's an unbelievable person and an unbelievable coach, and we're going to miss him," Saints assistant general manager Jeff Ireland said during a news briefing with local reporters at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday in Mobile, Alabama. "... I'm not surprised that Sean brought him over. That tandem was obviously good for a long, long time. Wish him the best, obviously."
Carmichael, 52, was a member of the Saints offensive coaching staff for 18 years โ the past 15 as offensive coordinator โ before being fired after the teamโs 9-8 season.
In Denver, Carmichael will join several former colleagues from Paytonโs Saints staffs, including Joe Lombardi, Zach Strief, Declan Doyle, John Morton, Mike Westhoff, Joe Vitt, Michael Wilhoite and Dan Dalrymple.
Carmichael originally joined the Saints staff as the quarterbacks coach, working alongside Drew Brees, then took over as the offensive coordinator for the 2009 Super Bowl team.
Carmichael played a key role in building one of the most prolific offensive attacks in NFL history, a unit that would eventually rewrite the Saints' record book and set numerous NFL benchmarks.
Carmichael served as the primary offensive play-caller the last two seasons after Payton stepped down as head coach in 2021. He also handled the role in 2012,ย when the offense ranked in the top three in scoring and total yards, and for parts of the 2011 and 2016 seasons.
The Saints finished the 2023 season ranked ninth in scoring offense (23.6 points per game) and 14th in total offense (337.2 yards). They were 11th in passing yardage (234.7), but only 21st in rushing yardage 102.5), while ranking 15th in third-down efficiency (38.7%) and 18th in red-zone efficiency (53.3%).
Payton has said Carmichael was one of the five most important people behind the Saints' historic success from 2006-20, when the club won six NFC South Division titles and the franchise's only Super Bowl title after the 2009 season.
Before the start of the 2022 season, running back Mark Ingram said of Carmichael, โThat whole playbook, everything we run, has his fingerprints all over it.โ