Joe Brady mentioned multiple times in his introductory press conference as Bills head coach that he’s from the Sean Payton tree.
Now he’s brought in one of Payton’s longtime offensive lieutenants.
Pete Carmichael Jr. is joining Buffalo as the club’s offensive coordinator, according to a report from NFL Media.
Carmichael, 54, was with the Saints from 2006-2023, spending the vast majority of that time as the club’s offensive coordinator under Payton. Carmichael did not call plays full-time until Payton departed the franchise after the 2021 season. But he was fired after two seasons under head coach Dennis Allen.
Carmichael reunited with Payton with the Broncos, becoming the team’s senior offensive assistant in 2024 and serving in that role over the last two seasons.
Brady noted he will still call the Bills’ offensive plays as head coach. But Carmichael joining the team will be a key factor in implementing Buffalo’s offensive game plans throughout the week.
Saints Clips
The Steelers are looking to bring in another assistant new head coach Mike McCarthy has plenty of familiarity with.
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Pittsburgh plans to interview New Orleans quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien for its offensive coordinator vacancy.
Tolzien, 38, played under McCarthy as a backup quarterback for the Packers from 2013-2015. Tolzien then coached under McCarthy with the Cowboys from 2020-2024, first as a coaching assistant and then as the team’s QBs coach for his last two seasons there.
In 2025, Tolzien worked with rookie Tyler Shough, helping him finish the season having completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games with nine starts.
Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has been the betting favorite to win offensive rookie of the year for some time and he officially became a finalist for the award on Thursday.
McMillan was a first-round pick last April and he posted 70 catches, 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns for the NFC South champs. If McMillan wins the award, he’ll join Cam Newton as the only Panthers to receive the honor.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough might have surpassed McMillan as the favorite with more time in the starting lineup. Even if he falls short of hearing his name announced at the NFL Honors event in February, Shough’s provided reason for hope about the future in New Orleans.
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson are the other finalists this year.
Safety Julian Blackmon’s first season with the Saints was cut short, but he’ll have a chance to make more of an impact in New Orleans in 2026.
The Saints announced on Tuesday that they have signed Blackmon to a one-year extension. No financial terms were disclosed.
Blackmon signed a one-year deal with the Saints last year, but he tore his labrum in the season opener and missed the final 16 games of the season. He had seven tackles before his injury.
Blackmon spent his first six NFL seasons with the Colts. He had 300 tackles, 10 interceptions, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries during his time in Indianapolis.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set the single-season sack record during the 2025 season and he also became one of three unanimous choices for the Associated Press All-Pro team.
All 50 voters selected Garrett as one of their choices at edge rusher in this year’s voting. Those voters also unanimously selected Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for this year’s first team.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford got the nod over Drake Maye at quarterback, which opens up the possibility of a split with MVP for the second straight season. Stafford got 31 votes while the Patriots quarterback got 18 with Bills quarterback Josh Allen getting the other one.
Stafford joins kicker Gary Anderson as the only players to be named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in their 17th season or later.
The full All-Pro teams appear below:
First team
Offense
Quarterback — Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Running Back — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Fullback — Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco
Wide Receivers — Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle; Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati
All Purpose — Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
Tight End — Trey McBride, Arizona
Left Tackle — Garrett Bolles, Denver
Left Guard — Joe Thuney, Chicago
Center — Creed Humphrey, Kansas City
Right Guard — Quinn Meinerz, Denver
Right Tackle — Penei Sewell, Detroit
Defense
Edge Rushers — Myles Garrett, Cleveland; Will Anderson Jr., Houston; Micah Parsons, Green Bay
Interior Linemen — Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee; Zach Allen, Denver
Linebackers — Jack Campbell, Detroit; Jordyn Brooks, Miami
Cornerbacks — Derek Stingley Jr., Houston; Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia
Slot cornerback — Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia
Safeties — Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore; Kevin Byard, Chicago
Special Teams
Placekicker — Will Reichard, Minnesota
Punter — Jordan Stout, Baltimore
Kick Returner — Ray Davis, Buffalo
Punt Returner — Chimera Dike, Tennessee
Special Teamer — Devon Key, Denver
Long Snapper — Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville
Second team
Offense
Quarterback — Drake Maye, New England
Running Back — James Cook, Buffalo
Fullback — Patrick Ricard, Baltimore
Wide Receivers — George Pickens, Dallas; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit; Chris Olave, New Orleans
All Purpose — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Tight End — Kyle Pitts, Atlanta
Left Tackle — Trent Williams, San Francisco
Left Guard — Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis
Center — Aaron Brewer, Miami
Right Guard — Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta
Right Tackle — Darnell Wright, Chicago
Defense
Edge Rushers — Brian Burns, New York Giants; Danielle Hunter, Houston; Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit
Interior Linemen — Leonard Williams, Seattle; Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh
Linebackers — Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville; Ernest Jones IV, Seattle
Cornerbacks — Patrick Surtain II, Denver; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle
Slot cornerback — Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers
Safeties — Jessie Bates III, Atlanta; Talanoa Hufanga, Denver; Xavier McKinney, Green Bay (Hufanga and McKinney were tied for the second-team spot)
Special teams
Placekicker — Brandon Aubrey, Dallas
Punter — Michael Dickson, Seattle
Kick Returner — Kavontae Turpin, Dallas
Punt Returner — Marcus Jones, New England
Special Teamer — Del’Shawn Phillips, Los Angeles Chargers
Long Snapper — Andrew DePaola, Minnesota
Tyler Shough didn’t open the 2025 season as the starting quarterback in New Orleans, but he took control of the job in the second half of the year and his final month caught the eye of the NFL.
Shough was named the final offensive rookie of the month of the regular season on Thursday.
Shough led the Saints to four straight wins in December, but they stumbled against the Falcons in Week 18. He completed 114-of-163 passes for 1,316 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Shough also picked up 135 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the five games.
Head coach Kellen Moore and General Manager Mickey Loomis both said Shough is the team’s quarterback moving into next season and they’ll be looking for even bigger things once he’s back on the field.
Chase Young put together a nice last five games of the year and now he’s been recognized for his performance.
The league named Young NFC defensive player of the month for December and January.
Young posted 19 total tackles with six for loss, 5.0 sacks, and two fumble recoveries — one of which was returned for a touchdown.
In 12 total games this season, Young posted 10.0 sacks with 11 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
The Saints took their time before turning to Tyler Shough at quarterback during the 2025 season and General Manager Mickey Loomis doesn’t want to rush any further stages of his development heading into the 2026 campaign.
Shough started the final nine games for the Saints and the team went 5-4 in those contests after starting the year 1-7. Shough completed 67.6 of his passes while throwing for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for three scores.
Loomis and head coach Kellen Moore left no doubt that Shough is their starter as they move into the offseason, but Loomis noted that the team’s excitement about Shough’s start can’t allow them to jump over any parts of the process.
“Again, we’re excited about Tyler . . . but we have to remember that he hasn’t had 17 starts yet, so we’re going to go into next season with these high expectations and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Loomis said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. “But we also have to temper that by the fact that . . . he’s a second-year quarterback and he’s had less than full season to start. So we’ve got to keep that in mind as we go forward. There are building blocks here and we cannot skip any steps.”
The Saints have the eighth pick in the first round and Shough’s presence will allow them to address other needs with that pick and throughout the offseason.
New Orleans had missed the deadline for bidding on the opportunity to host the 2031 Super Bowl, due to an unresolved lease situation. The NFL has given the city a dispensation.
Via Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the NFL has decided to let New Orleans proceed with an effort to bring the Big Game back to the Big Easy in five years.
The decision was announced after Saints owner Gayle Benson and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry traveled to New York to meet with Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We appreciated the opportunity to meet with Gov. Landry and Mrs. Benson,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Duncan. “It was a very productive meeting, and while our immediate focus is on the upcoming Super Bowls, we can confirm that New Orleans will be part of the consideration process for the Super Bowl to be played in 2031.”
The 2026 Super Bowl will be hosted by San Francisco. The 2027 game will be played in L.A., with the 2028 game happening in Atlanta. Las Vegas and Nashville are believed to be the favorites for 2029 and 2030, respectively.
“We had a very positive and productive meeting, and I am thrilled that we will have the opportunity to bid on the 2031 Super Bowl,” Benson said.
The NFL ended several years ago the process of having multiple cities submit competing bids for each game, opting instead to target one specific city. And it appears that, because New Orleans is back in play for the 2031 game, it will be New Orleans’ game to lose.
New Orleans has staged 11 Super Bowls, starting with Super Bowl IV. New Orleans also hosted Super Bowls VI, IX, XII, XV, XX, XXIV, XXXI, XXXVI, and XLVII. The longest gap happened between XLVII and LIX — 12 years.
If New Orleans gets the 2031 Super Bowl (LXV), the lag will be only six years between games hosted there.
The Falcons won their final game of the regular season and the Panthers did not, but the Panthers will be going to the playoffs as the NFC South champions.
Kirk Cousins threw a touchdown pass to Drake London in the first quarter and Zane Gonzalez made four field goals to propel the Falcons to a 19-17 home win over the Saints. That pushed them to 8-9 on the season and put them in a three-way tie with the Panthers and the Buccaneers at the top of the division.
The Panthers lost to the Bucs on Saturday, but prevailed in the three-way tiebreaker thanks to having the best record in games against the other two 8-9 teams.
Atlanta never trailed after London’s touchdown, but the Saints made it interesting in the final minutes. Rookie Tyler Shough made his last argument for the offensive rookie of the year award by hitting Ronnie Bell for a 16-yard touchdown with 1:11 left to play. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Falcons, however, and that was enough to send the Panthers on to the postseason.
Cousins was 18-of-32 for 180 yards and he also threw an interception during the win. His return to the lineup after Michael Penix’s injury ended with four straight wins and their were enough positives in the veteran’s play to think that he will have suitors in the offseason if the Falcons decide against moving forward with him as at least a contender for the starting role.
The Saints have no such questions. They fell short on Sunday, but won more than they lost after putting Shough in the lineup. He was 23-of-35 for 259 yards on Sunday and also ran three times for 34 yards and a touchdown in an outing that only solidified his spot as the quarterback of the present and future in New Orleans.
