When it was announced by Terry Pegula and Brandon Beane that quarterback Josh Allen would be in the head coach search, some agreed with the move and some didn’t. For as great as Allen is and even with him being the face of the franchise, he is still a player at the end of the day. It should be the front office members making these kinds of decisions, and having Allen in the room could cause some opinions.
The Buffalo Bills kicked off their head coaching search with Joe Brady, who was their offensive coordinator, and he ended up being the chosen candidate to take over for Sean McDermott. Brady steps into this role with continuity in the building, but also being a new voice at the table.
As Beane and Brady were answering questions at Thursday’s press conference, there were plenty of comments about Josh Allen, who actually showed up to the press conference in a way that fans don’t like to see. However, one of the things that was mentioned about Allen was his role in the search.
Josh Allen's role in HC search played an important factor (and it makes sense)
Per Sal Capaccio, Beane mentioned that Allen was in on the interviews that they told Allen to let them know “if a candidate wouldn’t mesh well with the players.”
Beane said Josh Allen was listening in on interviews and they would tell Josh to let them know if he felt a candidate wouldn't mesh well with the players.
— Sal Capaccio 🏈 (@SalSports) January 29, 2026
This statement from Beane makes sense. At the end of the day, Allen is the leader of the locker room and with the culture that has been built up among the players, having Allen for that specific reason makes a great amount of sense. The last thing that the team and fans need is someone coming into the building, and not meshing well with the players.
With Brady now in this position, that’s where the continuity stays. The players know Brady, and Brady knows the players. That itself is a positive sign. Now it’s up to Brady to keep that continuity, while also being the best head coach possible.
Being a head coach in this league is not easy. There has to be tough calls and conversations with this job, so it will be very interesting to see how Brady navigates these kinds of situations. Not to mention, he's going to have to do it with all players, not just the ones that he has worked closely with the last few years.