The New Orleans Saints had a strange 2023 campaign. While they finished with a 9-8 record, they didn't do enough to win the NFC South and find their way into the postseason, meaning their season ended early for the third straight year. The Saints needed to make some sort of changes to find their way back into the playoffs, and that resulted in a shocking decision regarding their longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.

After stints with the San Diego Chargers, Washington Commanders, and Cleveland Browns, Carmichael joined the Saints coaching staff all the way back in 2006, and eventually became their offensive coordinator in 2009, holding the position ever since then. New Orleans' offense has been lagging in recent seasons, though, which prompted head coach Dennis Allen to fire Carmichael, with senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell and wide receivers coach Kodi Burns getting fired by Allen as well.

These are some sweeping changes to an offense that desperately needed a shakeup, but the firing of Carmichael is a bit of an eye-opener. Carmichael was leading the offense back during the Drew Brees era, and he helped New Orleans win Super Bowl 44 over the Indianapolis Colts. However, Carmichael couldn't figure out how to make things work without Brees, and he now finds himself out of a job.

While some folks wondered whether or not Allen could be on the hot seat this offseason, it looks like his offensive staff is going to fall on their swords for him. With Carmichael out, New Orleans now needs a new offensive coordinator to replace the veteran coach, and the hope is that whoever they bring in will manage to get more out of their offense than Carmichael did in 2023.