Buffalo Bills' Bold Joe Brady Hire Questioned by NFL Insider

The Buffalo Bills made a bold move when they hired Joe Brady as their team’s next head coach.

The 36-year-old has no head-coaching experience, and his offense wasn’t exactly flawless during the 2025 campaign. Therefore, Brady and the Bills are under immense pressure to perform quickly. One NFL insider is not so sure things will work as seamlessly as the Bills would like everyone to believe.

Prove it

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo discussed the Bills’ hire, which places their new head coach and the franchise as a whole out on a limb.

“He’s replacing a guy that made the playoffs eight of the last nine years,” said Garafolo. “You make that move—and I understand why, like, we gotta get over the hump, we’re in Josh Allen’s prime here. But Joe Brady was the young fella that was coming along quick—the next young, the next Sean McVay.

“So now you’ve got a partnership with Josh Allen that you know is going to go incredibly from that standpoint, but now you’re the head coach. And how’s the rest of the locker room, how’s the defense going to respond to you?"

Garafolo added, “Are you ready for this task. This is not, ‘Oh, make the divisional round, great job in your first year, Joe. No, no, no. This is win it all and get there soon. I am fascinated by the Joe Brady hire.”

MORE: How Bills' James Cook's Role Could Expand Under New Head Coach

"This is win it all and get there soon."@MikeGarafolo is intrigued by the Joe Brady hire by the Bills in part because of the team's win-now mentality. pic.twitter.com/npg5vtIKh6
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 11, 2026

Under pressure

With Joe Brady leading the offense this past season, the Bills averaged the fourth-most points per game in the NFL (28.3), the fourth-most total yards per game (376.3), and the most yards rushing (159.6) behind the league’s rushing champion, James Cook.

There were times throughout the year when his unit was much maligned, as the passing game was not up to par, ranking 15th in yards passing (219.6), which is unacceptable when you have Josh Allen at quarterback. Additionally, slow starts were a common theme for the Bills’ offense throughout the year, resulting in several uninspiring performances.

It will be interesting to see what changes Brady deploys in his first season with full control of the team, while Jim Leonhard’s first season as the Bills' defensive coordinator will also be intriguing. Leonhard is expected to bring an aggressive style that Buffalo hopes transforms the look of its defense.

There is no telling how things will shake out when the Bills take the field this fall. And with all the changeover heading into 2026, many, including Garafolo, question this team’s ability to make everything fit on the fly.