The Buffalo Bills have made their biggest move of the 2026 NFL offseason by promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to be their new head coach, officially replacing Sean McDermott following a coaching search that concluded this week. Brady, 36, has climbed the NFL ladder quickly, and now gets his shot leading one of the league’s premier offenses.
Who Is Joe Brady? Bills Hire New Coach From Within The Organization
Brady’s rise to the top job in Buffalo is rooted in a mix of college success and smart NFL progression. After starting his coaching career as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints in the late 2010s, Brady first drew head-turning attention as the passing game coordinator at LSU in 2019. There, he helped design one of college football’s most explosive units and earned the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.
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That success led Brady into the pros. He served as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and 2021 before joining the Bills in 2022 as their quarterbacks coach. When the Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey during the 2023 season, Brady stepped in as the interim play-caller, and he never looked back. The Bills offense improved under his guidance, leading to his full promotion to offensive coordinator in early 2024.
Over the past two seasons, Buffalo’s offense has been among the NFL’s most productive. In 2024 the Bills ranked near the top of the league in scoring and total offense, and in 2025 the unit again finished near the top in both yards and points per game under Brady’s scheme. It featured a balanced attack that leaned heavily on both the run game and explosive plays through the air, playing to quarterback Josh Allen’s strengths.
Established Relationship With Josh Allen Helped Candidacy
Now as head coach, Brady becomes one of the youngest leaders in the league, stepping into a role that carries high expectations both from Bills Mafia and around the NFL. His rapid ascent also made him a hot candidate around the league this offseason, with interviews reportedly taking place with other franchises before Buffalo settled on promoting from within.
A major part of what makes Brady’s hiring intriguing is his existing relationship with Allen. The two first worked together when Brady was Allen’s quarterbacks coach, and that connection has only deepened as Brady has called plays and helped shape Buffalo’s offensive identity.
As head coach, Brady inherits a roster built to win now, and a franchise eager to finally get over the hump in the postseason. If his history with Allen and his offensive pedigree translate into head coaching success, Buffalo’s could be in for some success over the next few years.
