Joe Brady Staying Put Could Be Win For All Involved
Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
When a team has success, it’s not all that shocking when other teams come knocking on the door trying to pick coaches. It’s no different for the Buffalo Bills, as almost all of the teams with head coaching openings right now have requested an interview with offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
The first instinct for Brady if offered a head coaching job will probably be to take it, no matter who offers it. There are only 32 NFL head coaching positions, after all. Still, unless the perfect opportunity crops up, staying another year in Buffalo may make sense not just for the Bills, but Brady, as well.
After all, when Brady left his position as passing game coordinator at LSU to take the offensive coordinator gig with the Carolina Panthers, many believed he was on a fast track to get a head coaching job. But that stint didn’t work out, leading him to Buffalo. As he climbed the ranks from QB coach to offensive coordinator, though, he took a very good offense to the elite level. The Bills’ offense this season has broken all kinds of team records, including touchdowns and points.
On paper, that’s a heck of an accomplishment, but it is even more impressive when you consider that he lost his top two receiving options in Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis during the offseason. How has he done that? By taking a lot of the pressure off of Josh Allen and reemphasizing the running game, which has paid dividends. Allen is getting all the praise, but without James Cook, who found the end zone 18 times in 2024 (16 on the ground), this offense doesn’t look nearly as good.
Sean McDermott has done a good job of finding replacements for his snapped-up offensive coordinators during his time in Buffalo, but it’s going to be hard to find someone who can replace the relationship that Brady has with the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“If I told Joe that I want this play and he calls it, I’ve got to go and make it work because we’re putting ourselves on the line in terms of him trusting us,” the quarterback added. “If he’s going to go out there and be a friendly play-caller like that, we’ve got to make it work and make him look good at the same time.”
The Bills will always have a chance to win the Super Bowl with Allen under center, but this year feels different. It feels like their window isn’t just cracked right now — it’s wide open and the screen has been obliterated. It feels like if Brady were to take a head coaching job this offseason, that window would close a little bit, and the screen might get replaced, making the job a little bit tougher in Buffalo.
But it’s not just the Bills that would benefit from Brady staying another, he could get a big boost next offseason.
Earlier this year, there was a lot of talk about Ben Johnson leaving the Lions to take a head coaching job. But after another big year this season, he’s gone from a candidate who might get a job somewhere to someone who may have their pick of head coaching jobs. Brady could find himself in that conversation next year with another huge season and a potential second crack at the Super Bowl.
There are some decent coaching destinations this offseason, but nothing that particularly jumps out. Even a team like the Chicago Bears, with Caleb Williams in place, still a lot of questions about the rest of the team and the ownership. Places like the New Orleans Saints don’t have a bonafide quarterback prospect in place and are also in salary cap hell. The New York Jets are still the New York Jets, and probably a place that Brady wants to avoid. The Las Vegas Raiders have the sixth pick in a zero-quarterback draft.
It’s more than the position, it’s about finding the right fit, and Brady knows that. “It’s a players’ game, and when you remove yourself and try to make it about the scheme, that usually doesn’t go too well,” Brady told the media Monday. “I told myself, if I get an opportunity again, I’m going to make it about the guys and making sure the relationships are there so we can have the tough conversations.”
It makes sense why teams like the Saints and Jets would want Brady, especially with the way he connects with everyone. It would be tempting for the pay bump to take a head coaching gig, but those are both jobs that could end up being a death sentence for his head coaching career, no matter talented he is. Some coaches only get one shot at the top job, so it’s important to make it count. If he waits for another year, the Bills offense should continue their success and Brady will have more opportunities to take over a quality team, not just a dysfunctional organization that will almost certainly chew up another coach in two years.
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