Josh Allen Battles Through Injury, Bills Turn the Page with Joe Brady at the Helm
Josh Allen showed up to Joe Brady’s introductory press conference in a walking boot and on crutches - not exactly the image Bills fans were hoping to see heading into the offseason. But the franchise quarterback wasn’t there to make excuses. Instead, he was there to support his new head coach and shed some light on what’s been going on behind the scenes.
Allen revealed that he broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot during a late December matchup against the Browns - a painful injury he played through down the stretch. “Not an ideal situation,” he admitted.
“Painful throughout the weeks.” Despite the setback, Allen said the procedure to repair the injury wasn’t major and made it clear that if the Bills had a game this week, he’d be suiting up.
“I’m not even lying - if we had to play a game this week, I would find a way to play.”
According to reports, Allen suffered an avulsion fracture - a type of injury where a small piece of bone is pulled off by a tendon or ligament - and is expected to need 8-10 weeks to fully recover. But in classic Allen fashion, he's already looking ahead, not backward.
As for the man Allen came to support, Joe Brady is officially the new head coach in Buffalo. After stepping in as interim offensive coordinator midseason, Brady now takes the reins with a full-time title and a clear vision.
General Manager Brandon Beane described the coaching search as one focused on leadership: “We were looking for a CEO-type head coach… a fresh, new vision for the Buffalo Bills. We wanted alignment.”
Brady, for his part, struck the right tone - respectful of the past, focused on the future. He gave former head coach Sean McDermott his due for nearly a decade of work in Buffalo, saying, “The past nine years in this organization matter… they matter deeply and they deserve respect.”
But make no mistake - Brady knows expectations aren’t going anywhere. “I didn’t take this job to shy away from expectations,” he said.
“No one rises to low expectations. I want what the city wants.
They got to play us. They got to play Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.”
That last line? That’s the kind of swagger Buffalo fans have been waiting to hear.
Brady also confirmed he’ll continue to call plays on offense, a decision that should bring some continuity to a unit that found its rhythm late in the season.
Allen, meanwhile, didn’t shy away from accountability when reflecting on the team’s season and the coaching change. “If I make one more play, that game in Denver, we’re probably not having this press conference right now,” he said.
“We’re probably not making a change. In all honesty, we’re probably getting ready to play another game.”
It’s a rare moment of vulnerability from one of the league’s top quarterbacks - and a reminder of just how fine the margins are in the NFL.
One player who’ll be looking to take a step forward in Brady’s system is second-year wide receiver Keon Coleman. After a quiet 2025 season, Coleman’s yet to deliver the kind of breakout performance Buffalo hoped for.
Still, Allen isn’t giving up on his young target. “He will come back from that,” Allen said.
“I’m not going to give up on 0. … We will find ways to win football games, and he’s going to be a part of that.”
Brady echoed that sentiment, reportedly telling Coleman that his promotion to head coach might be the best thing that could happen for the young wideout. The message is clear: the Bills are betting on their core, and they believe Coleman still has a role to play.
Jets Face Cultural Questions After 3-14 Season
Over in New York, the Jets’ 3-14 campaign under first-year head coach Aaron Glenn has raised more questions than answers - and not just about the roster.
While one anonymous starter defended Glenn, pointing to a lack of talent rather than coaching as the primary issue - “We need more pieces, a lot more pieces” - others weren’t so forgiving. A former NFL general manager didn’t hold back, saying, “He did nothing with the culture.
He talked about swagger and toughness, but I didn’t see any of that. They played like a bunch of guys punching time clocks; they didn’t want to be there.”
Defensively, frustrations reportedly mounted under coordinator Steve Wilks, who installed a new scheme that departed significantly from what players had grown accustomed to. That disconnect between scheme and personnel may have contributed to the unit’s struggles, and it's something the Jets will need to address as they regroup this offseason.
Patriots Eyeing Offensive Help, A.J. Brown Among Potential Targets
In New England, the Patriots are already laying the groundwork for a busy offseason. According to reports from the Shrine Bowl, league sources believe the team is interested in acquiring Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown - a move that would instantly inject firepower into an offense that needs a jolt.
There’s a connection worth noting: Mike Vrabel, now in New England, was the head coach in Tennessee when the Titans drafted Brown back in 2019. While Eagles GM Howie Roseman has publicly said Brown isn’t available, some insiders believe that could change under the right circumstances.
Beyond the potential splash move, the Patriots are expected to target defensive line depth and a tight end in free agency. They’re also likely to use a mid-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to develop an offensive lineman for the future - a classic Patriots move, building for both now and later.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye popped up on the injury report this week with a right shoulder issue. Vrabel acknowledged it’s a new injury but downplayed the concern, saying there’s “not much” to worry about.
With a new regime in place and plenty of holes to fill, the Patriots are clearly in roster-building mode. But if they can land a player like A.J. Brown and keep Maye healthy, the rebuild could accelerate in a hurry.
From Buffalo’s leadership reset to the Jets’ cultural questions and the Patriots’ offseason plans, the AFC East is anything but quiet heading into 2026. And with Josh Allen already talking about suiting up if he had to, you get the feeling that the next chapter in this division’s story is going to be just as compelling as the last.