Josh Allen's feelings on Joe Brady, Sean McDermott seemingly clear after Bills' HC hire

Before the Buffalo Bills officially fired head coach Sean McDermott earlier in January, one unnamed NFL executive said that he felt "the only way" such a move would make sense is if team owner Terry Pegula wanted to ultimately promote offensive coordinator Joe Brady to serve as McDermott's replacement. 

That executive may have been spot on. 

Bills make final Joe Brady decision amid search for head coach

On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter and others reported that the Bills are promoting Brady to the role of head coach and signing him to a five-year deal. Brady first became quarterback Josh Allen's OC on an interim basis during the 2023 season and then held the full-time gig over the past two campaigns. 

While playing under Brady, Allen won the 2024 regular-season Most Valuable Player Award. More recently, the 2025 Bills went 12-5 before they suffered a brutal 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the ongoing postseason tournament. 

What Joe Brady decision seems to say about Josh Allen's power within Bills

Shortly after it was reported that Allen "has faith in the leadership of" Pegula and Bills general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane, multiple NFL insiders noted that Allen would "have significant say" in the team's selection of a new head coach. ESPN's Peter Schrager added that Allen was being given the kind of "player empowerment" more often seen in the NBA. 

Interestingly, there have been times when it appeared to outsiders that Allen and Brady weren't on the same page. Shortly after the New York Giants parted ways with head coach Brian Daboll in November, whispers emerged hinting that Daboll could replace Brady as Buffalo's offensive coordinator. Later that month, Allen went viral when he was unable to hide his frustrations during a loss to the Houston Texans. 

Nevertheless, ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg mentioned on Tuesday that Brady "has a very close relationship with Allen." Fair or not, the perception now exists that Allen views Brady as a preferred option over McDermott regarding the signal-caller's pursuit of the first Super Bowl appearance of his career.