ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula walked around the postgame locker room in Denver on Jan. 17 following yet another year of his team falling short of taking the steps to advance to the Super Bowl.
The Bills had just lost to the Denver Broncos in overtime. Buffalo's 2025 season ended in the divisional round for the fourth time in the past five years. After seeing the frustration and sadness on quarterback Josh Allen's face, Pegula decided a change was needed and that coach Sean McDermott should be fired. He felt the team had hit a proverbial "playoff wall."
On Tuesday, that blame was left at the feet of McDermott with the decision to move on by hiring an in-house candidate for his replacement. The Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, 36, who agreed to a five-year deal to become the youngest current head coach in the NFL. That comes despite Brady being part of the last four seasons of falling short, first as a quarterbacks coach (2022-23), interim offensive coordinator (Week 11, 2023-end of season) and then full-time offensive coordinator (2024-25).
If change was needed to get the Bills over the Super Bowl hump, how does bringing in someone tied to past failures accomplish that? Let's dig into that elephant in the room factor, what stood out about Brady in the interview process and what awaits him this offseason.
Why was Brady hired?
General manager Brandon Beane, who was also promoted to president of football operations last week, said the team was 100% open and not necessarily looking for an offensive-minded coach, however, seven of the nine candidates the Bills interviewed came from an offensive background. Brady was the first coach interviewed.
The decision was reached to go with someone Allen and the rest of the offense is incredibly comfortable with, and the continuity that Brady brings. But what stood out to the hiring group, and the largest reason Brady was promoted, was how he fit into the "CEO" aspect of the job that Beane emphasized during a news conference with Pegula less than a week ago.
"It's a CEO job. It really is," Beane said. "A lot of your time as a head coach or a GM gets taken away from me scouting, watching players or a coach in their scheming X's and O's, so we've got to make sure we get the leadership, the CEO part."
While there was already a sense of who Brady is as a coordinator, there is still learning to be done on what Brady, who has never been a head coach on any level, wants and plans to do in the role.
In the interview process, Brady's view of how things should be structured, as shared during the interview process, was well received by the hiring group. Part of that is how highly Brady framed his vision of the alignment between coach and the player personnel side of things. That's where the established comfortability with Beane will come into play and Beane already has the knowledge of what Brady is looking for on offense.
Offensive players in the building have been strong in their praise for Brady since he was named interim coordinator in Week 11 of the 2023 season, and tight end Dalton Kincaid was among a small group of players who posted in support of him on Tuesday.
"Joe's dope man. Obviously, career kind of took off a bit once Joe took over, so I got a lot of love for him and the trust that he's had in me," receiver Khalil Shakir said when he signed his contract extension in the spring. "...Just super appreciative of everything he does."
Allen has spoken highly of Brady over the years, advocating for him to be promoted to the coordinator role. Among Brady's first words when he took over the coordinator role full-time in 2024 was how it was "Josh Allen's offense."
Allen was in on coaching interviews, showing the team's desire to find a coach who worked well with the reigning MVP.
"I'm so thankful for [Brady], and this whole team, this offense has so much respect for him as a coordinator and as a man," tight end Dawson Knox said last week. "We can feel that love that he has for us, not only as football players, but as men, too, off the field, how our families are doing. But the way he had this offense running, man, I mean, there was no game that we felt like we were out of."
What responsibility has Brady and the offense had on the Bills falling short in the postseason?
The good news for Allen, who turns 30 in May, is that with Brady as coach, the quarterback does not have to learn a new offense. There were, however, times during the 2025 season when playcalling and offensive consistency were issues. The team scored 20 points or less in all five regular-season losses. Allen is coming off taking the most sacks of his eight-year career (40) after taking the fewest (14) in a season during his MVP campaign in 2024.
Brady has shown an ability to adapt his scheme over the years, learning from experiences at each of his stops, including being fired from his offensive coordinator role with the Carolina Panthers in 2021. He is expected to continue calling offensive plays while in his new role.
Allen had one of his best seasons in 2024 and since Brady took over as interim offensive coordinator in Week 11, 2023, the Bills have ranked first in Expected Points Added per play (0.14) and second in points per game (29.1).
Meanwhile, outside receivers have not blossomed under Brady and no Bills player has reached over 900 receiving yards under his tenure as OC. The passing game struggled at times in 2025, specifically the downfield passing game, and the talent of the receiver room was scrutinized. There are also questions on if more of the blame should fall on Beane regarding acquisitions. In 2025, Allen had the fewest pass attempts of his career of 15 air yards or more (93) and the third-fewest completions (44). No team had fewer air yards per pass attempt when targeting outside receivers (9.7).
In the playoffs, Brady's offense had scored 24 or more points in every game, but in the past three postseason losses -- a divisional-round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, an AFC Championship loss to the Chiefs and the overtime loss to the Denver Broncos -- the offense had the ball for potential lead-taking or game-winning drives and failed to convert. In 2023, that defeat came on a missed game-tying field goal with 1:47 left in the game following a drive that took 6:40 off the clock. The AFC Championship loss featured a failed Allen pass to Dalton Kincaid with two minutes left, while the Bills didn't score in their lone overtime possession in Denver amid a controversial interception call on a pass intended for Brandin Cooks.
One key point to highlight is the Bills defense also had issues in the postseason, allowing 28.3 points per game in seven playoff losses under McDermott.
A key signature of the Brady offense has been pairing a dynamic running game with Allen, including James Cook III finishing the 2025 season with the rushing title. Cook finished with 1,621 rushing yards, the first Bill to win the title since OJ Simpson in 1976.
From 2021 through Week 10 of the 2023 season, the Bills ran design run plays 35.0% of the time (27th). Since Brady was promoted in Week 11, 2023, their rushing rate has increased to 44.2%, (4th) and the third-highest run rate in 2025. That should be expected to continue; however, it will look different in 2026 as offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who played a large role in the team's run game, is set to retire.
"[Brady's] players smile when his name comes up. His players want to play for him. ... He's a coach that you're gonna want to do the right thing for because he does the right thing for you," left tackle Dion Dawkins said last postseason. "... But he's gonna make you feel confident and he's gonna put you in the right position to win and as a pro, you could respect that because all we want to do is win."
How much of the offensive ups and down in 2025 can be placed on Brady will come into focus as he takes over the entire team
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What's next?
The staff that Brady hires will be crucial, and it starts with the defensive side of the ball. Former Bills player and current Broncos defensive pass coordinator Jim Leonhard is expected to be a leading candidate for the defensive coordinator job, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
A shift in defensive philosophy would be more in line with the decision to move on from McDermott as it will bring a significant change to the organization.
Of the coaches on staff, a couple who have established history with Brady and who could be considered for future roles on his staff include quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry and offensive quality control and assistant wide receivers coach DJ Mangas.
There is also significant work to be done to a roster that has question marks at several starting positions. That includes the future of 2024 No. 33 overall pick Keon Coleman, who has not worked out in Brady's offense the last two seasons, while Pegula put the selection of the receiver on the coaching staff.
Roster decisions will be where the collaboration with Beane, who Brady will report directly to, comes in.
No one will have more pressure on them than Brady. He has the task of not only continuing the Bills' run of success that has included seven straight playoff appearances, but taking it further and winning a championship.
Advancing further in the postseason with Allen is of the utmost priority, and the Bills will hope that the continuity and relationship Brady brings puts him in position to do just that.
"I have a passion for calling plays strictly from a play standpoint, but I also have a passion for teaching and coaching and being around the guys and seeing them party in the end zone," Brady said in 2024. "And so, I love that relationships element of it. And I didn't do a good enough job in [Carolina]. So, this is a great opportunity for me to dive into the players, not just the player element to, but the person. And so, I got pride in this job. I have so much pride in this organization. You live in Buffalo, you know how much the Bills mean to it."
