"I think it would be in their best interest just to sort of go in a different direction and not try to do the same type of character," the actor, 48, tells Ellen DeGeneres in an interview airing Tuesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Beyond that, he's not making any specific suggestions. "You know what," he says, "I'm leaving that to the producers."
Carell says those producers have been throwing random names out there "to screw people up." He jokes: "Colin Powell, I think, is going to be the next Michael Scott. And people jump on it and don't see the irony at all."
The funnyman says he's shot 15 of the 22 episodes for his current final season, and admits he's feeling emotional about wrapping his work on the series after seven seasons.
"Yeah, it's a little sad," he says. "It's sort of bittersweet because a lot of these people are my best friends. I feel like it's time for me to move on, but it's sad. I'm going to miss everybody a lot."
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