Joe Brady now will be tasked with helping to get Josh Allen to the Super Bowl for the first time in the star quarterback\u2019s NFL career.<\/p>\n
Brady, the Bills\u2019 offensive coordinator, is being promoted to head coach as the replacement for fired Sean McDermott,<\/a> per multiple reports.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old, who interviewed for other head coaching openings, was Buffalo\u2019s offensive coordinator for the last two-plus seasons, taking over for Ken Dorsey in the middle of the 2023 season. He was the Bills\u2019 quarterbacks coach in 2021 and \u201922.<\/p>\n The Bills are promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach. Diamond Images\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Before he joined Buffalo, Brady was the Panthers\u2019 offensive coordinator for two seasons.<\/p>\n McDermott, the second-longest coach in Bills history behind Hall of Famer Marv Levy, was fired two days after Buffalo was eliminated in the divisional round<\/a> of the AFC playoffs by top-seeded Denver. Team owner Terry Pegula said a few days later that Allen \u201chad no input\u201d on the firing of McDermott.<\/p>\n \u201cMy decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,\u201d Pegula said. \u201cI did not fire Coach based on a bad officiating decision. If I can take you into that locker room, I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall year after year \u2014 13 seconds, missed field goal, the catch.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I just sensed in that locker room, like, where do we go from here with what we have? And that was the basis for my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n GM Brandon Beane was promoted to team president<\/a> when McDermott was fired and headed up the search for the next coach.<\/p>\n The Bills registered the second-most wins (98-50) of any NFL team in regular-season play since 2017 during McDermott\u2019s nine seasons as head coach. They qualified for the playoffs eight times and reached the AFC Championship Game twice in that span, but they have not appeared in the Super Bowl since making four straight trips (all losses) under Levy from 1990-93.<\/p>\n Philip Rivers<\/a>, who attempted a playing comeback late this season with the Colts, former Giants head coach and former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski also were among those to interview for the position.<\/p>\n Sean McDermott was fired by the Bills. Getty Images<\/p>\n Allen reportedly played an active role in the search<\/a>, sitting in on the interviews.<\/p>\n Despite finishing in second place in the AFC East this season to the Patriots, the Bills appeared to have a strong chance to reach the Super Bowl this year, especially with injured Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs missing the playoffs. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens and Joe Burrow and the Bengals also were among those teams that did not qualify.<\/p>\n