Approaching Year 1 knowing it’s not a rebuild

As the Bills begin to build for 2026, change is a part of the conversation due to having a new head coach. It’s the first year in the Brady era but far from a complete rebuild because the Bills have several important and impact players returning for next season. They’ve also made the playoffs seven consecutive seasons.

In balancing a new regime with the fact that expectations exist based on roster talent, Beane made it clear that one coach isn’t swapping in for another and business continues as usual. It’ll be a fresh approach.

“Joe has come in and he’ll have different signage up, different pictures up, different things in meeting rooms,” Beane said of his new head coach. “He’ll have his own sayings and things like that. I think his thing is, let’s walk in like this is a fresh, new approach for how we want to build this team, for how we want to do our day. I’m sure there will be some nuances in his scheduling that are different. It’s not just going to be, ‘All right, one person in, one person out,’ and we do everything the same.”

Brady is approaching it by bringing a new mindset into the building. He believes it’s necessary to shift and change to have better outcomes in the future.

“There’s been a foundation that’s been set here and it might be a little different in the sense of we understand what expectations and everything that comes with it, but this isn’t just, ‘Hey, Joe Brady’s in and everything’s just business as usual, right?” Brady explained. “And so, it’s important that everybody in the organization knows it because if we continue to speak about how things used to be, then we’ll never continue to go forward. I have so much respect for the past, but it’s year one in the organization right now.”

Turning over a new leaf in the building might mean a different schedule and new signage because Beane and Brady believe it’s important that the players know they are walking into a new environment.

“I think Joe just wants to make sure the guys walk in and feel like, ‘Okay, there has been a change here, and this is what we’re doing,'” Beane shared. “Not really worried about what the expectations are, just this is year one of a new program. Just because we practiced this way before doesn’t mean that’s how we’re going to do practice now.”