The Buffalo Bills appointed Joe Brady, their offensive coordinator, as their new head coach on Tuesday, and the decision has drawn mixed reactions.
Some people are excited about the hire and pleased to see Brady promoted, believing he has a tremendous offensive mind that will mesh well with quarterback Josh Allen as the head coach. However, others think they should have gone with a more experienced head coach.
Brian Hoyer Doesn’t Know How He Feels About Brady
One person who wasn’t a fan of the Brady hire was former New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Josh Allen, but I’m not so sure about this Joe Brady hire,” Hoyer said on Wednesday during “Up & Adams”. “That signifies they want to do everything to make Josh Allen happy. We know Josh loves Joe Brady.”
Brady joined Buffalo’s coaching staff in 2022 as a quarterback coach and gradually worked his way up to become the interim offensive coordinator after the Bills let go of Ken Dorsey midway through the 2023 season.
The Bills promoted Brady to the primary offensive coordinator after 2023, and he worked well with Allen the last two seasons. Brady’s name popped up in numerous NFL coaching searches during this offseason and even last offseason, and Buffalo knew it couldn’t afford to let him slip through its fingers.
Allen likely played a part in Brady’s appointment as the next head coach. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Jan. 23 that Allen would have a significant influence on who the next head coach would be.
“Buffalo is making sure their best player, team leader, and face of the franchise is part of the hiring process,” Russini wrote on X. “Josh Allen will have significant say on the next coach of the Buffalo Bills.”
The Bills’ decision to hire Brady was primarily influenced by their confidence in Allen. They were likely one of the top head coaching jobs available on the market, alongside the Baltimore Ravens.
The Bills Could’ve Hired a Veteran Head Coach
Many coaching candidates would stumble over themselves in their eagerness to land the Bills’ head coaching job. The decision to promote someone from within the organization likely stems from Allen’s comfort with Brady.
There’s a strong case for making Brady the head coach, given his history with the Bills and the offense’s performance under his leadership over the past two and a half seasons.
However, he has never been a head coach before, and taking on this role with a team so close to winning a Super Bowl could be risky. If Brady had been hired by an NFL team that’s not in immediate contention for a championship, he would have had the opportunity to ease into his role and navigate the challenges of being an NFL head coach. But with Buffalo poised on the brink of the Super Bowl, he can’t afford to have too many missteps; otherwise, the Bills might fall short of their Super Bowl goals, and there’s a real possibility that Buffalo could let him go.
Former Patriots QB Criticizes Bills’ Decision to Hire Joe Brady