Josh Allen in crosshairs after Bills hire 'brother' Joe Brady as next head coach

Following the Buffalo Bills’ hiring of Joe Brady, the man named as Sean McDermott’s successor is immediately under immense pressure to help the organization get over the hump and punch its ticket to a Super Bowl.

With that said, there is someone under even more pressure to lead the Bills’ championship charge.

And his name is Josh Allen.

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

‘Significant say’

During an end-of-season press conference, Team Owner Terry Pegula stated that Allen would be involved in the hiring process of the team’s next head coach.

“The starting quarterback will be part of the team to help select a new coach,” said Pegula. “He’s going to be working with us.”

Then, reports provided further context to Pegula’s statement, revealing that Allen would have “significant say” in the team’s decision-making when selecting a new leader for the franchise. And while that choice was met with mixed reaction, it was clear that the team wanted its quarterback to have his hand in things as they brought in their next head coach.

You know the old saying, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Now, Allen will have to bear that weight, as the team has elected to move forward with what has been perceived, unfairly or not, as its QB’s handpicked choice in Brady, with whom he has developed quite the chummy relationship over the years.

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Joe Brady, Josh Allen — Bills quarterback Josh Allen talks with offensive coordinator Joe Brady during the Buffalo Bills training camp Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2024 at St. John Fisher University. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Brotherhood

While Brady will now step into an unfamiliar role as head coach, the tenor of his leadership is likely to change. And that may impact his dynamic with Allen, which has been well established, dating back to Brady’s time as the Bills'quarterbacks coach during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

“Love him like a brother,” said Allen while offering Brady a vote of confidence following a 2025 Week 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. “He’s been awesome for my career.”

That’s all well and good, but as a head coach, one of your duties is to provide players — yes, even the quarterback — with a swift kick in the rear-end if needed for motivation. Will Brady be able to do that with him, given that he and Allen have created a brotherly-type rapport over the years? Is it possible to flip that switch?

That will be determined soon.

No more excuses

Allen was placed in the crosshairs when the team decided to involve him so heavily in the hiring process. But pressure was first applied to the Bills’ QB when management eliminated from the equation the one person who has been shielding him from accountability for the team’s playoff failures all these years — McDermott.

Since the Bills began this championship quest that they’ve been on since Allen stepped into the limelight, fans and media alike have assaulted McDermott with blame and absolved the team’s signal caller of responsibility. While McDermott’s defenses have allowed 30-plus points in several playoff losses, Allen and the Bills’ offense have had the ball with a chance to win many of those games. But for some reason, Allen has escaped most criticism.

Well, that should change now, as this is officially Allen’s team and his fingerprints will be all over everything the organization does for the foreseeable future.

Even more so than before.

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