Bills Promote Joe Brady to Head Coach on Five-Year Deal

Bills fans wanted a swing. Buffalo’s front office decided the best swing was the one already in the building.

On Tuesday, the Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach on a five-year deal, a move that keeps continuity at the center of Buffalo’s biggest priority: maximizing Josh Allen.

Brady, 36, takes over after the Bills moved on from Sean McDermott last week. Brady has been in Buffalo since 2022, first as quarterbacks coach and then rising to offensive coordinator after Ken Dorsey was fired during the 2023 season.

#Why Buffalo chose continuity

One detail tells you exactly what the Bills are trying to preserve: Brady is expected to continue calling offensive plays. That means Allen’s weekly communication pipeline stays intact, and Buffalo avoids the typical “new coach, new language, new system” reset that can waste months (or an entire season).

The logic is simple: if Buffalo believes it’s close, don’t torch the wiring.

#Brady’s offensive fingerprint

Since taking over the offense, Brady’s Bills have leaned into a more balanced identity, putting real emphasis on the run game while keeping the passing attack explosive. The team itself highlighted how productive that approach became in 2025, when Buffalo ranked top-five in multiple categories, including:

Rushing yards per game (1st)
Time of possession (1st)
Points per game (4th)
Total yards per game (4th)

That balance matters for Allen, too. It lowers the “hero ball or bust” pressure that tends to show up in January when every drive is life-or-death.

#The big question: is this a real change?

Brady is an internal promotion, which naturally raises the obvious question: how different will Buffalo actually be?

NFL.com framed it bluntly: Brady worked under McDermott for four seasons, so the Bills aren’t exactly detonating their identity, they’re shifting leadership while trying to keep the parts they like.

If Buffalo’s leadership believes the roster is championship-caliber and the problem is more about late-season execution, game management, and finishing, this hire fits that worldview.