Bills HC Joe Brady already deemed a candidate to be on hot seat

New Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady hasn't even led his team in one game this season, and he's already being deemed a "hot-seat" candidate. 

That's what happens when you take over a franchise that has solid players and is getting impatient about getting to the Super Bowl.

Brady took over as head coach of the Bills following the team's 12-5 record. A lot of teams would have loved a 12-5 record, but not the Bills. This team didn't make it to the big game, and that hurt. So, they let go of longtime head coach Sean McDermott and promoted Brady.

Now, Brady has to deliver. It's expected. If not, his time in Buffalo could end earlier than expected.

Nate Davis of USA Today has released a list of coaches in the hot seat for 2026. 

"Whether you're a player, executive or – certainly – a coach, just about everyone, no matter how good or established, is on borrowed time," Davis noted in the piece.

Bills head coach Joe Brady could already be entering a must-win season

In the feature, Davis said Brady could very well be in the hot seat. He's No. 9 on the tally.

"It's almost patently unfair to include a rookie coach – nearly as unfair as McDermott losing this job after the Bills lost a divisional-round playoff game in overtime thanks to a highly debatable Josh Allen interception," Davis said. 

He added, "But owner Terry Pegula made it clear after firing McDermott that he justifiably expects this team to be in the Super Bowl. And soon."

So, it makes sense that Brady, in theory, could be a one-and-done if the Bills have a worse season than under McDermott. That's certainly not a given, but if the Bills walk away with a worse season than they had in 2025, someone will get the blame.