The Buffalo Bills ended their head coaching search on Tuesday, announcing that offensive coordinator Joe Brady earned a promotion to the top spot and will replace Sean McDermott.
The move has drawn plenty of criticism, however, with some accusing the Bills of making a “scared” move that changes little from their failed season.
Bills Insiders Puzzled at Joe Brady Pick
Though Brady had interviewed for the head coaching job and was seen as one of the top remaining candidates, his selection still took many by surprise. Owner Terry Pegula said after firing McDermott that he wanted to take the team in a different direction, but some insiders questioned how Brady could do that.
“Wasn’t the point of moving on from McDermott was to get a fresh view point to get over the ‘playoff wall’?” noted reporter Brian Koziol of WGR 550 in Buffalo. “Whether Brady is the best choice or not, this move feels like just a small reshuffle.”
Others accused Pegula of failing to follow up McDermott’s firing with the kind of bold move that could alter the direction of the franchise and get them past the hump in the AFC.
“Bills made the bold move to fire their HC after another very good season,” noted NFL analyst Warren Sharp in a post on X. “They wanted a big change to finally get to & win a Super Bowl …then they got scared, and: Kept the same GM, kept the same offense, promoted same OC to HC. Not sure how these are the big moves that achieve their goal. Anticlimactic & feels uninspiring.”
But even some taken by surprise after the hiring shared hope that Brady might bring more sweeping change within the coaching staff.
“I didn’t think the Bills would promote from within,” noted reporter Sal Capaccio of WGR 550. “Really thought they’d go in a brand new direction. The next step is to see who Brady’s assistants are. People on staff he might keep.”
The Bills cast a wide net in looking for candidates, including some unconventional candidates like former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers.
Joe Brady Has Found Success With Josh Allen
Despite the pushback to the selection, Brady has enjoyed plenty of success as offensive coordinator. He led the team on a six-game winning streak to end the 2023 season after taking over for the fired Ken Dorsey, then helped turn Allen into the league MVP last season.
As the team pointed out in announcing Brady’s hiring, he crafted one of the league’s top passing attacks as offensive coordinator.
“Since 2024, Bills quarterback Josh Allen posted impressive numbers under Brady’s guise,” the team noted. “Allen leads the NFL with 79 offensive touchdowns and ranks top 10 in wins (25 â 2nd), passing touchdowns (53 â 8th), passing yards (7,399 â 9th), passing yards per attempt (7.8 â 6th) and passer rating (101.8 â 6th) during that span.”
The Bills adopted a more balanced approach between the running and passing games this season, allowing running back James Cook to have a career-best season and earn the first league rushing title for a Bills back since O.J. Simpson.
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