Joe Brady had the chance to speak at his first NFL combine as the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills. There were a mixture of topics that included the hirings on his coaching staff, some roster discussions, and then there was a moment where Brady had the chance to talk about one part of his journey that ultimately led him up to this point in his career.
Brady’s NFL journey began in 2017 where he was an offensive assistant under Sean Payton in New Orleans. He was with Payton for two seasons before becoming the pass-game coordinator/wide receivers coach for the 2019 LSU team that is arguably the best team in college football history.
He would then join the Carolina Panthers as the offensive coordinator from 2020-2021, before being let go and eventually landing with the Bills as their QBs coach in 2022. He took over for Ken Dorsey in the middle of the 2023 season as the interim offensive coordinator before becoming the full-time OC. Now he’s Sean McDermott’s replacement.
Brady was asked about his two years in New Orleans and how it helped him get to where he is now, and Brady delivered high praise for Payton and the way he showed him how this business is.
Joe Brady gives massive credit to Sean Payton for fast-rising career as coach
“I got my Master’s degree at Penn State, and I got my doctorate in New Orleans. It was everything to me in New Orleans working with Sean [Payton], Pete Carmichael.” said Brady.
“I can be on all day talking about how great of a coach Sean Payton is. I wouldn’t have been able to call plays at LSU from being a coaching assistant if I didn’t have that experience in New Orleans.” said Brady.
Brady has been a coveted head coaching candidate the last two seasons and he was being looked at by other teams this head coaching cycle. Once Buffalo decided to move on from Sean McDermott, Brady became an obvious option because of his familiarity with Josh Allen and him already being in the building.
Rather than Buffalo going in a different direction and losing Brady somewhere else, the Bills are now giving him his first go at being a head coach. He gets his shot with the team that has helped put him on the map and he will need to prove that he was the right coach to replace McDermott and elevate this team.
This could be the start of something great for the Bills and if Brady is able to accomplish what McDermott couldn’t, then Payton deserves some credit for giving Brady a chance at the NFL level on the sidelines nearly a decade ago.