The Buffalo Bills are not sitting on their laurels after another Divisional Round disaster in 2025. Buffalo fired Sean McDermott and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach hoping to make a positive change. Now Brady has settled on his replacement.
The Bills are hiring Pete Carmichael as their next offensive coordinator, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
It is a reunion for Carmichael and Brady. Buffalo's head coach use to work under Carmichael from 2017-18 during Carmichael's 15-year run in New Orleans.
Carmichael was most recently a senior offensive assistant with the Broncos from 2024-25. He followed his former head coach Sean Payton over to Denver.
The Broncos had one of the better offenses in the NFL in 2025. That is a testament to Payton and Carmichael's scheme, as Denver had subpar offensive weapons around QB Bo Nix.
Now Carmichael joins a Bills team with one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Josh Allen. Buffalo also has an excellent running back in James Cook and a diverse set of wide receivers and tight ends.
Brady will be the play-caller in Buffalo in 2026, just like Payton does in Denver. That means Carmichael can slide right into an advisory and support role as offensive coordinator.
The offensive side of the ball should be a major area of emphasis for the Bills in 2026. QB Josh Allen turns 30 years old before the 2026 season and Buffalo will be under pressure to get to a Super Bowl as soon as possible.
If the Bills are going to get over the hump, they'll need their offense firing on all cylinders.
Meanwhile, Buffalo has yet to hire a new defensive coordinator. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Broncos defensive pass coordinator Jim Leonhard is a leading candidate for Buffalo's DC opening.
It will be fascinating to see what Buffalo's coaching staff looks like once the dust settles after this hiring cycle.
