The Buffalo Bills have officially made their move - Joe Brady is now the head coach.
After weeks of swirling speculation and a coaching search that felt more like a maze than a mission, the Bills decided to stay in-house and elevate Brady, their offensive coordinator, to the top job. It’s a big moment for Brady, who’s earned respect around the league for his offensive mind and leadership potential. But the timing - and the context - of this promotion raise some serious questions about the direction Buffalo is heading.
Let’s rewind a bit. When the Bills parted ways with Sean McDermott, team owner Terry Pegula didn’t hold back.
In a candid press conference, Pegula pointed directly to the team’s previous coaching staff when discussing the controversial 2024 draft pick of wide receiver Keon Coleman. He made it clear: that pick wasn’t on general manager Brandon Beane - it was on the coaches.
So here’s where it gets messy. Promoting Brady, a key member of that same coaching staff, seems to send a very specific message. Despite the public distancing from the Coleman pick, the Bills just handed the reins to someone who, by all accounts, was part of the decision-making process that brought Coleman to Buffalo.
That’s not to say Brady isn’t qualified. He’s shown growth as a play-caller, and his ability to connect with players has been praised internally.
But this move makes one thing crystal clear: the organization is ready to move on from Keon Coleman. If there was any doubt before, it’s gone now.
Coleman’s rookie season didn’t go the way anyone hoped. With the coaching shakeup, there was a slim window where a new staff might have offered him a fresh start - a chance to reset, refocus, and re-earn his spot.
That window just closed. Brady’s promotion strongly suggests that the Bills are aligned from top to bottom on Coleman’s future, and it likely doesn’t include a second act in Buffalo.
NFL analyst Matt Harmon summed it up well when he pointed out the contradiction: Coleman is still on the roster, yet the team just promoted someone who, based on ownership’s own comments, may have been involved in selecting him. It's a tangled web, and the optics are tough to ignore.
Now, barring a dramatic shift, Coleman’s days with the Bills appear numbered. A trade or outright release this offseason feels inevitable. Given the public nature of Pegula’s remarks and the organization’s decision to double down on Brady, keeping Coleman around would only add to the confusion.
As for Brady, he’s stepping into a high-pressure situation with a chance to reset the culture and get this team back on track. There’s talent on the roster, a front office that’s shown it can build competitive teams, and now a head coach who knows the players and the system. Whether that translates into wins remains to be seen.
But one thing’s for sure: the Bills are moving forward - and they’re doing it without looking back at the Keon Coleman pick.