Buffalo Bills Hire New Head Coach Joe Brady

The Buffalo Bills are set to enter a new era next season with a brand-new stadium in Western New York. They'll also enter 2026 with a brand-new head coach.

On Tuesday, the Bills announced that they'll be promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to the head coaching position. Brady has signed a five-year deal to lead the team, taking over for longtime head coach Sean McDermott.

The Bills parted ways with McDermott after their heartbreaking playoff loss to the Denver Broncos earlier this month. In his nine seasons as head coach, McDermott led the Bills to the playoffs eight times.

We've agreed to terms with Joe Brady on a 5-year contract to become our next head coach! pic.twitter.com/zYiukOSz6g

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 27, 2026

Joe Brady's Experience in Buffalo

Brady has experience with several NFL teams and top college programs, and has been a member of Buffalo's staff since the 2022 season. Since elevating him to the OC role, the Bills' offense has ranked at or near the top of the NFL in several statistical categories.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 2024 after playing in a full season of Brady's offense, inspiring confidence for what's to come in the future.

Josh Allen's OC Joe Brady is now his HC in Buffalo ???? pic.twitter.com/mzDWR2zBON

— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2026

Allen was also an important part of the team's coaching search. Team owner Terry Pegula cited the quarterback's emotions after the most recent playoff loss as one of the reasons the team elected to move on from McDermott.

According to ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg, the Bills had Allen sit in on head coaching interviews with the rest of the front office. General manager and newly promoted team president Brandon Beane said that the search for a new coach was expansive.

"This is a bigger job than just a playcaller and schemer," Beane said last week while addressing the media with Pegula.

"I think we've seen where guys have been excellent playcallers, but they got to the head coach seat and they couldn't handle the adversity, the conflict management ... We've got to make sure we get the leadership, the CEO part."

Buffalo Ends Head Coaching Search

In the end, the Bills elected to promote from within, putting an end to one of the most intriguing head coaching openings around the NFL this season. Only three vacancies remain in the NFL for head coaches - the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders are expected to take Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, but the Browns and Cardinals are likely to have more questions than answers at the quarterback position.

For the Bills, the path forward is clear: put the best possible team around their MVP quarterback. They've given him a head coach he feels familiar with and one that he's had success playing under. We'll see if that translates to the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl championship during Brady's five-year tenure.