Report expands on why Bills selected Joe Brady as next head coach

Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula and team general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane didn't need long after the firing of head coach Sean McDermott to determine that Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady was the ideal replacement for McDermott.

Less than 24 hours after the Bills confirmed they had come to terms with Brady on a five-year deal for him to serve as their new head coach, ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg explained why Buffalo didn't go with an outsider to work with star quarterback Josh Allen. 

Why Joe Brady's vision was "well received" during interview process

"Brady's view of how things should be structured, as shared during the interview process, was well received by the hiring group," Getzenberg wrote. "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." 

Brady first became Allen's OC on an interim basis during the 2023 season, and Brady then held the full-time job over the past two campaigns. Allen became a MVP winner last winter, and Getzenberg noted that Allen "has spoken highly of Brady over the years." 

Did Josh Allen make the final call on Bills' hiring of Joe Brady? 

ESPN's Peter Schrager previously hinted that Allen was being given the kind of "player empowerment" more often reserved for NBA stars. Thus, some understandably have assumed that Allen is responsible for the Bills promoting Brady. 

On Tuesday, Schrager indicated Allen's role in the hiring process had been somewhat overstated. 

"He was in the room for many of the candidates' in-person interviews and got to see behind the curtains on process, and offer his opinions on each," Schrager wrote about Allen. "He wasn't a part of the narrowing of the final list or the final HC decision."

Allen reportedly voiced his "faith in the leadership of" Pegula and Beane shortly after McDermott was shown the door. For better or for worse, Allen now won't have to learn a new offense before the 2026 season gets underway.