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Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen and head coach Joe Brady
Newly hired Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady has wasted no time building his staff days after being promoted from offensive coordinator.
On Friday, the Bills hired former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator and Denver Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael Jr. to replace Brady as OC. The move was met with praise by Bills fans on social media.
Buffalo could raid Denver again to fill its defensive coordinator spot, as the team has been linked to Broncos defensive passing game coordinator/assistant head coach Jim Leonhard.
The Bills are also believed to be players for Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who reportedly wants out after being passed over for the head coach job that went to Todd Monken.
Though Brady seems committed to building an All-Star coaching staff, that doesn’t change the fact that he has large shoes to fill.
ESPN Analyst Has Words of Warning for Joe Brady
GettyBuffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady
The Bills fired Sean McDermott because he failed to get the team to a Super Bowl in his 9 seasons, which is why ESPN’s Ryan Clark believes Brady has an unrealistically high bar to clear in Year 1.
“For Joe Brady, he has to go win a Super Bowl because that’s the thing that Sean McDermott hasn’t done,” Clark stated. “He’s done everything else, he’s gotten them to AFC Championships, he’s gotten them to the playoffs for consecutive years, he’s had this team extremely competitive in the AFC East, winning it consecutively.”
“Let me tell you something about Joe Brady — Joe Brady is the right hire. Joe Brady should’ve been a head coach, in my opinion, before this year. … He has to understand, the only thing that’s different now to everyone is that Sean McDermott isn’t there. He has to be the difference between. Where the Buffalo Bills have been and where the Buffalo Bills are going — so it’s absolutely Super Bowl or bust for Joe Brady, Josh Allen, and this team.”
Josh Allen Also Feeling the Pressure
GettyBuffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen
Brady isn’t the only one facing immense pressure in 2026.
Clark also said next year is the year that star quarterback and reigning MVP Josh Allen needs to get over the AFC Championship Game hump (he’s 0-2 in such games) and finally get Buffalo back to a Super Bowl for the first time since 1994.
“It’s Super Bowl or bust for Josh Allen until he wins a Super Bowl,” Clark continued. There’s nothing else for him to do, nothing else for him to prove. Since this dude’s been in the league, he has more total touchdowns than 12 different organizations. So, for Josh Allen, what he needs to do is win a Super Bowl. The expectation of Josh Allen will be to win a Super Bowl.”
Some believe Allen is part of the reason McDermott was fired.
He has a close relationship with Brady, and some fans have pointed out on social media that the organization’s eagerness to promote him and replace McDermott is in large part because Brady is Allen’s guy, and the team doesn’t want to waste any more of his prime years.
Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher
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