The New Orleans Saints have made staff changes after the 2023 season, the third consecutive season New Orleans didn’t make the playoffs.
According to multiple reports, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has been fired by the Saints after a remarkable 18 seasons with the franchise in multiple roles. The team has also moved on from assistant coach Bob Bicknell and wide receivers coach Kodi Burns.
“I would like to thank Pete, Bob and Kodi for their service to the New Orleans Saints and to this coaching staff,” said head coach Dennis Allen. “These types of decisions are never easy to come to, but are necessary as we move forward.”
“I would especially like to thank Pete for his contributions to this staff for 18 seasons. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the job he has done and as a colleague.”
Carmichael, the last remaining member of the Sean Payton regime, spent the first three seasons as quarterbacks coach before taking over as OC in 2009. However, from 2009-2021, Carmichael didn’t have playcalling responsibility as that was handled by Payton.
The 2021 season went down as the worst offensive performance in New Orleans since 2000, part of the reason why Payton decided to walk away after that season. 2022 and 2023 only saw slight improvements as the team had their 16th (2023) and 17th (2023) best performances since the turn of the century.
This move has been discussed by fans and media alike for months now, so it comes as no surprise that Dennis Allen was looking for a shakeup offensively.