Buffalo Bills' plan for offensive play-caller under Joe Brady revealed

One of the most pressing questions after the Buffalo Bills promoted Joe Brady to become the team’s next head coach has been answered.

After Brady was officially named head coach, many wondered who would call plays for the offense moving forward under Brady’s leadership.

Well, that has reportedly been decided, as according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Brady will continue to be the team's play-caller for the 2026 season.

Joe Brady, Josh Allen — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) speaks with Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady before the game against the Baltimore Ravens in a 2025 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The report

Garafalo posted his report to X on Tuesday, remarking that Brady’s voice in quarterback Josh Allen’s headset moving forward is “a plan for continuity” for the Buffalo offense.

The news comes as the Bills remain in search of an offensive and defensive coordinator to serve under their new head coach. It has been reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Denver Broncos defensive passing game coordinator Jim Leonhard is “expected to be a lead candidate” for the DC job. But there have been no rumors regarding who may serve as the Bills’ next OC.

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Joe Brady will continue to call offensive plays as the new head coach of the #Bills, source says. A plan for continuity for Josh Allen and Buffalo’s offense. pic.twitter.com/eyhqResIjC
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 27, 2026

Brady’s track record

Brady has helped the Bills rank among the most high-scoring offenses in the league each of the past two seasons, both of which he served as full-time offensive coordinator after fulfilling the role as interim OC during the 2023 campaign.

In 2024, Allen's MVP season, the Bills scored 30.9 points per game, which trailed only the league-leading Detroit Lions (33.2 PPG). This past year, despite dealing with criticism waged by the Bills’ fan base, the Brady-led offense put up 28.3 PPG, good enough for fourth in the league. It also finished third in EPA per play in both the '24 (+0.14) and '25 (+0.08) campaigns.

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady calls out during drills on the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford Wednesday, July 24, 2024. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The criticisms

Although certain statistics point toward the Bills’ offense being one of the best in the league, it underperformed frequently throughout the 2025 season, including during some ugly defeats.

In losses to the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles, the Bills scored a combined 10 first-half points, which accentuated a common theme for the Buffalo throughout the year — slow starts offensively. Brady's play-calling also came under question, with the excessive use of screen passes and the mesh concept in the passing game, along with his spamming of running plays, drawing the ire of the Bills’ fan base.

He has also failed to aid wide receiver Keon Coleman's development within the Bills' offense. At the same time, recent free-agent acquisitions, WRs Curtis Samuel and Joshua Palmer, have not been meaningfully involved in the passing game.

At the Bills’ end-of-season press conference, Team Owner Terry Pegula and President of Football Operations Brandon Beane spoke about the team needing a change of direction. Well, keeping the same offensive play caller and promoting him to head coach is not exactly what many had hoped for.

It's also an interesting move considering Beane mentioned the Bills were searching for more of a "CEO" type of head coach, rather than a play-caller or schemer. Brady remaining as play-caller would seem to contradict that sentiment.

The pressure is officially on.

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