The Buffalo Bills announced Joe Brady as their new head coach Thursday, highlighting his fresh vision and a leadership style that emphasizes culture, collaboration, and alignment.
Brady was introduced alongside General Manager Brandon Beane inside One Bills Drive, with the two speaking for just under an hour.
Here's what we learned about Buffalo's new head coach on Day 1.
1 — Inside the rigorous coaching search and why Joe Brady stood out
Just after 10 p.m. Monday night, not many cars remained in the parking lot at One Bills Drive except for those of several key figureheads in the Bills organization.
Buffalo's hiring team made up of Owner Terry Pegula, GM Brandon Beane, President of Business Operations Pete Guelli and assistant GMs Brian Gaine and Terrance Gray just wrapped up their interview with the ninth and final head coach candidate.
"We stayed in there for another two hours and talked," Beane recalled. "Joe was standing out. There were two or three that were standing out."
A decision was close, but the Bills decided to break for the night and re-engage conversations early Tuesday morning. To reach a satisfying conclusion, final steps in the process included getting on a video call with Brady — their first interview — to circle back and clear up any lingering questions.
"I did not want to rush this process, and I wanted to be fair to every candidate. We got Joe back on a Zoom call. I called him, 'Hey, bud, we need more here.' We wrote down the questions that we still had for Joe. And about halfway through that process, I was like, 'That's our guy,'" Beane said.
Tuesday afternoon, the Bills announced they agreed to terms with Brady and two days later he put pen to paper and was introduced as the team's head coach in front of Bills ownership, team staff members, media members, Brady's family and a handful of current players — including quarterback Josh Allen who sat in the front row.
"We wanted a highly intelligent, aggressive, and excellent communicator. We wanted alignment. Joe Brady is all of that and more," Beane said.
Beane and Brady each described the week-long progress as rigorous, intense and thorough. The interview with Brady, as well as the other candidates was done with a "blank slate" mentality. Beane felt it was important to not have the mentality that Brady was just "the Bills offensive coordinator" but rather someone who was coming in with a new vision.
Brady's initial interview gave each side the opportunity to speak openly and honestly about the future of the team and how the franchise would operate if Brady was selected.
"I came away and I remember calling my agent right away and I was like, man, I talked about how tough it was, but I also talked about how impressive I came away with how they approached it. The questions, what mattered to them. I mean, Josh did not toss me any alley-oops," Brady said.
Josh Allen sat in during the interview process but was not involved in the final decision making, nor did he give Brady any answers to the test. In fact, the two went the whole week without talking over the phone until Brady had been selected.
Brady's demeanor, energy and outline for the future of the Buffalo Bills rose above the rest.
"I believe in his plan, his vision, and our communication, I think we'll be able to support him where he needs it, which he will," Beane said.
Brady described himself as a fiery, competitive person who wants to set the tone for the entire team.
"It starts with a new energy, a new mentality and a new vision," he said. "I'm going to bring the energy every single day. I believe people are going to feed off that. I truly believe in being the temperature. I'm the weather, and they're going to feel it every single day, a mentality. I believe in everything about these guys right here."
2 — Why Brady fits Buffalo
Joe Brady has long dreamed of becoming a head coach. Thursday, he retold stories of his days at Penn State as a graduate assistant, then getting his first shot in the NFL working under Sean Payton as an offensive assistant with the Saints. The daily grind in the coaching world can wear down some; it invigorated Brady.
"I was bottom of the barrel, sleeping at the office," Brady recalled. "Loving life."
Brady spoke about his affinity for Buffalo and why his first head coach job means so much for him.
"When this opportunity came along, I didn't want to just be a head football coach. I wanted to be the head football of the Buffalo Bills. Doing it with the right people, under the right direction, with the right alignment. Thank you for the trust you've placed in me and the responsibility to lead with you," Brady said.
Beane shared that during the interview process, he got to see a different side of Brady. Their usual conversations in-season used to revolve around only the offense. Brady's interviews over the last week showcased why he's the man to lead Buffalo.
"What I also learned about Joe through this process was his love for Buffalo, his love for our community, and the entire Bills Mafia. Joe is the perfect fit for our team right now," Beane said.
Brady's wife Lauren, along with their two children, were in attendance for the family's big day. Both of Joe and Lauren's children were born in Buffalo — the most recent being a baby girl who was born while the Bills played in Pittsburgh in November. Brady praised his wife for being the rock of the family and someone who "believed in me long before this moment ever arrived."
Repeatedly, Brady made it a point to share that he has unwavering belief in his players. The last four years, that belief has been vocally expressed to just the offensive side of the ball. Brady wants to ensure that message echoes to every player on the roster now.
"The defensive and special teams guys — I can't wait to grow our relationship and deepen it and understand who you are and continue to grow that," he said.
Brady said a hallmark of the Bills locker room will be how connected the team and coaches will be.
"Connected teams win. Connected teams win. If you love the man next to you and you care more about his success than your own, that's when you're going to win football games," he said.
Brady's love for his players is evident; there are several examples of how he always sticks up for his guys.
In a smaller interview with local media Thursday, Brady expressed his continued faith in wide receiver Keon Coleman and his ability to be an impact player.
"I told Keon when I got hired, the best thing to happen to Keon Coleman was me being his head coach. I was one of the ones who stood on the table for Keon Coleman and I believe in Keon Coleman. Keon Coleman is going to be a Buffalo Bill," Brady said.
When Brady joined the Bills in 2022 as the quarterbacks coach, he developed a close relationship with QB Josh Allen. As head coach, Brady wants to make sure his decisions are made with an intention to help him and the rest of the team.
"Everything I think about is trying to find ways to put him in a position to have success, because that's all I care about with him," Brady stated. "Josh Allen is the best player in the NFL, and I have to grow, right? And part of me growing is that's going to allow him to be a better version of himself. I'm so excited to be able to continue this journey with him."
With new responsibilities come new pressures, something that Brady now wears on his chest.
"I didn't take this job to shy away from expectations. I sure as hell did not do that," he said. "I'm embracing it. I'm understanding it. And I'm meeting it full on. I know what I signed up for and I'm going to embrace it because no one rises to low expectations. I want what this city wants."
"Buffalo is not just where I worked. It's where my life changed. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here, right now."
3 — Brady plans on calling offensive plays
Joe Brady confirmed that he plans to remain the offensive play-caller for the Bills, though that responsibility will shift from the coaching booth to down on the field. Brady called plays from the field during his time in Carolina and was on the field during games as the Bills' QB coach in 2022 plus part of 2023.
"Not an element that concerns me. I'm actually excited to get back down there," he said.
Brady expressed why he's confident that he can call plays while also being the leader of an entire team.
"I have a passion for calling plays. I also understand that if we're ever in an element where me calling plays is not the best thing for the organization, then I won't do that. But I do believe in the flow of the game and the understanding of how things are going to get played and putting together a system in place for that," he said.
One element that Brady highlighted is to continue finding ways to stretch the field in the passing game.
"That's an element of our game that has to improve, and it will improve, and it has to improve in the offseason," he said.
Brady's stated that his philosophy is trying to generate explosive plays in any way possible, a category the Bills ranked second in during 2025. Part of creating explosives is attacking downfield.
"You have to understand that you got to be able to attack the defense, to stress the defense vertically. But you also got to be smart about what you're going with and making sure that Josh is making great decisions as he's handling that," he said.
4 — A shared vision | How Brady and Beane align on building out a coaching staff
As Brady and Beane figure out the right fits for the coaching staff, they want to make sure there's alignment between the two.
"When we started this process, we were looking for a CEO type of head coach," Beane said. "And so you may say, `Okay, what do you mean by a CEO?' What I'm talking about is a fresh new vision for the Buffalo Bills. Somebody who values strong culture, collaboration, and alignment."
Beane believes Brady checked those boxes. To Brady, alignment is about sharing a vision.
"Alignment, to me, means we're both open and open to conversation, communication and understanding that we don't have to be yes men," Brady said. "But when we make a decision, when that door opens, there's no going backwards and there's no second guessing, and we're going all out with it. To me, that's alignment. Alignment is a shared vision for what we want and making sure that we don't ever lose sight of that when we make decisions."
"If there's something that Joe doesn't think makes sense, he's going to speak up," Beane said. "If there's something that I don't think makes sense, I'm going to speak up. But we're going to collaborate on every part of it."
Brady and Beane want to have a shared vision when it comes to filling out Buffalo's coaching staff. In terms of timeline, Brady wants to act swiftly.
"It's important for me to be quick, but not be in a hurry," Brady said. "I really want to be intentional about who we're putting together on the staff. One of the pros that I have here is I also do know what's in the rooms. I also have an idea of some of the personalities in the room."
Brady believes he has an advantage in matching player personalities with the right coach since he's been in the building since 2022. When it comes to offense, Brady knows all about what it takes to have success. Since 2024, he coached an offense that averaged 29.6 points per game (2nd) and averaged 367.7 total yards per game (3rd).
As Brady's responsibilities now extend beyond the offense, he wants to hire defensive coaches who know how to attack.
Brady believes he has an advantage in matching player personalities with the right coach since he's been in the building since 2022. When it comes to offense, Brady knows all about what it takes to have success. Since 2024, he coached an offense that averaged 29.6 points per game (2nd) and averaged 367.7 total yards per game (3rd).
As Brady's responsibilities now extend beyond the offense, he wants to hire defensive coaches who know how to attack.
"He wants a defense that attacks opposing quarterbacks and play callers pre-snap and post-snap. A defense that dictates to the offense," Beane shared.
"The best defenses and the best minds are continuing all the way through the play call putting stress on coordinators," Brady said about how defenses pressure offenses in today's NFL. "No longer are you able to just know where guys are going to be when they're going to be there. I think that's a key element of what I'm looking for in a defense, is making sure that we have the versatility to be able to change personnels."
Versatility is also key as the GM and HC decide what scheme they want for Buffalo's defense in 2026.
"Joe and I have already been talking about some of the things," Beane said of the defensive look. "But I do think on defense, if we were to make a change … Joe's looking at different things … to a five down front or whatever. We do think we have some pieces that can already fit in that."
As Brady walks into a head coaching job for the first time, making him the youngest current head coach in the league at 36, he wants to own what he doesn't know and fill those gaps with strong experience.
In addition to that, Brady emphasized not having a ton of coaches who are just like him. He believes having multiple people with different opinions will get them to where they want to go.
"I'm making sure that I'm surrounding myself with people and hearing them out from their experiences," Brady said. "And we're going to bring a lot of different coaches in that have been around people that have done it. So just making sure that I'm exhausting all the avenues knowing that I don't have all the answers. But if I surround myself with enough people and I'm open enough, I'll be able to find out what works best for us."
Compatibility is also an important aspect to Brady. He wants to hire coaches he can grow with. Another crucial philosophy behind how Brady operates is building a scheme around your players rather than fitting the players around your scheme.
"Every decision this organization makes, it's with the thought of Josh Allen and the players in mind," Brady shared. "I'd be crazy not to. I was a part of incredible organizations in New Orleans with surrounding around Drew Brees. And there wasn't a decision that was made without Drew Brees being thought about … Everything I think about is trying to find ways to put him (Allen) in a position to have success."
"I believe his plan, his vision, and our communication, I think we'll be able to support him where he needs it, which he will," Beane said of making sure Brady gets what he needs. "And he said he's going to learn along the way. I would think if you sat down 12 months from now, Joe's going to say, 'Man, that was wild. I learned a lot, and I'm going to be even more prepared for season two.'"
5 – Fortunate to be around incredible talent | How Brady was shaped by his great head coaches
Brady started his coaching career at William & Mary as the linebackers coach in 2013. The young graduate was fresh off finishing up his playing career with them as a wide receiver. Jimmye Laycock was their head coach and made an incredible impact on Brady's start to coaching.
"I've been fortunate to be around a lot of incredible coaches in my career," Brady said. "I'm not up there without them. I played for coach Jimmye Laycock. I coached linebackers for Jimmye Laycock."
Laycock coached at William & Mary from 1980-2018 and had 24 winning seasons as the head coach.
After William & Mary, Brady had a quick stint with Penn State and was onto the NFL before he knew it.
Buffalo's new head coach was an offensive assistant for the Saints from 2017-18. Brady took a lot from being around a head coach like Sean Payton and a quarterback like Drew Brees.
He plans to take things from Payton's aggressive mindset and use it in Buffalo.
"I'm from the Sean Payton tree, his aggressiveness, his mindset," Brady said of what stood out from New Orleans. "And there's so many elements that I believe that we can continue to grow our offense with the pieces that we have, and I look forward to that."
Before coming to Buffalo, Brady was the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers from 2020-21. The new Bills HC believes it was a big blessing to learn under Sean McDermott for four years.
"Coach McDermott gave me an opportunity of a lifetime," Brady said thinking back to 2022. "I had an opportunity to come here, coach for the Buffalo Bills and coach Josh Allen. I took immense pride in that."
Brady started off his press conference by thanking McDermott for everything he taught him and made sure to explain they will build off his great culture and success.
"I've learned a tremendous amount of things from Coach McDermott. How to lead, resilience, standards," Brady said. "The past nine years in this organization matter … They matter deeply and they deserve respect. I'm so grateful for Coach McDermott.
"I love Coach McDermott. And I'm going to do everything I can to continue to build upon the things that he laid and the foundation he laid."
