The Buffalo Bills have reportedly made an internal move for their next head coach. After interviewing several candidates since the Jan. 19 firing of longtime head coach Sean McDermott, the Bills have promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to replace McDermott. That's according to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Joe Brady is signing a five-year deal with Buffalo. https://t.co/jWkAxu03mO
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2026
Joe Brady has agreed to terms. He’s the Bills head coach. https://t.co/CmbMsZ9MxC
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 27, 2026
Brady, 36, has been with Buffalo since 2022, when he joined the staff as quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator on an interim basis in 2023, and served full-time from 2024-2025. Brady held previous NFL coaching positions for the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.
ESPN and NFL Network are both reporting that Brady is expected to sign a five-year head coaching contract with the Bills, but no terms have been made public yet.
Brady succeeds McDermott as coach after nine seasons leading the team. Under his tenure, the Bills broke their longstanding playoff drought, and made several appearances in the AFC Championship game.
Owner Terry Pegula explained his reasoning for firing McDermott to the media early last week, where he said he was spurred after the Bills' playoff loss in Denver.
"If I can take you into that locker room, I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall. year after year, 13 seconds, missed field goals, the catch," he said. "So, I, I just sensed in that locker room like, where do we go from here with what we have?"
Pegula described walking into the locker room after the loss to the Broncos, seeing players dejected and crying, including quarterback Josh Allen.
Brandon Beane, who has been the general manager since 2017, pushed back on whether there was discord between himself in the front office and the coaching staff. It's normal to have disagreements over decisions, he said.
"For somebody to question my character like that, it is BS, and I've never done that," Beane said. "If you'll remember, in 2023 there was an article written on Sean, accusing things. Who stood up in front of every one of you guys and defended him and his family, and everything he's done here?"
The Bills open up play in the brand new Highmark Stadium starting in 2026.
