Tony Romo forced Bills Mafia to re-think everything with his Joe Brady comment

Buffalo Bills fans have understandable fear with the organization’s decision to promote Joe Brady to head coach. After nine years with McDermott, eight of which ended in the postseason, the franchise is putting all of its faith in a 36-year-old, first-time head coach. 

Of course, that young head coach, the youngest active head coach in the league, in fact, also has Josh Allen at his disposal, and he knows how to use him. Allen and Brady have worked together since 2022, and all they’ve done is get Allen an MVP award, reach the Divisional Round of the playoffs at minimum each year, and make an appearance in the AFC Championship, all while consistently having one of the league’s most dangerous offenses in the NFL.

Still, Bills fans haven’t been overly supportive of the decision. Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer for The Athletic, shared a poll on X shortly after Brady’s hiring was announced, asking fans if they liked the decision to hire Brady. That poll started off negative and stayed that way. More than 65% of responses said no, while less than 9% said yes, as of this writing. 

Of course, Bills fans are already wound up from a chaotic few weeks. A more impartial voice, who certainly adores Josh Allen nearly as much as Bills Mafia, saw reason behind the Bills’ decision to promote Brady to head coach.

Tony Romo puts Joe Brady’s impact on the Bills into sharp perspective

Former NFL quarterback turned CBS color commentator Tony Romo joined The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday and learned in real time that the Bills had hired Brady as their next coach. While he clarified that he wasn’t all for firing McDermott in the first place, he explained how he ultimately sees why the Bills went with Brady as their head coach.

“I didn’t love them letting Sean McDermott go,” Romo said. “I think if you’re going to make that play, though, this is the only reason that you do that. It’s because if you have a stud in your building who might get a head coaching job somewhere else, you keep him in-house. And the only way to do that is to hire him as your head coach.”

Brady interviewed with six teams, including the Bills, for a head coaching job this offseason. Obviously, if the Bills went in a different direction at head coach, Brady would have certainly been available to the rest of the league as a coordinator as well. 

“Now, I don’t necessarily think Sean McDermott takes a back seat to anybody, but what Joe Brady did when he came on, you know, really changed the fortunes of this offense for the last year and a half. I mean, it’s been outstanding,” Romo said. “They have a run game, they have the ability to play action, Josh Allen drops back, but he just looks clearer, played the best football of his career the last year and a half, two years.”

The continuity with Allen and Brady remaining in their roles does at least give Buffalo an advantage in their new regime. Usually, a head coaching change brings about a lot more change than what the Bills will have to face this offseason.

Of course, Brady and Brandon Beane will have to build a coaching staff that can compete at a championship level right away, especially regarding the defense. How the search ends for a defensive coordinator could shift Bills Mafia’s entire perspective if it goes well. If not, then they’ll prepare for a season of the same ole’ Bills and put their faith in Allen to overcome whatever nightmare scenario steps in front of them next time.

Either way, Romo’s endorsement of Brady holds weight. The Bills didn’t just avoid losing Brady to another NFL squad; they invested in him after he proved his value on his side of the ball more than McDermott did on his.