Joe Brady says he was “broken” when the Bills fired Sean McDermott after the team’s playoff loss five months ago—devastation that also made him think his own time in Buffalo might be ending. Now promoted to head coach, Brady credits McDermott for giving him hi
When Joe Brady found out Sean McDermott had been fired by the Bills, it didn’t come with relief. It came with shock.
Brady, now promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach, said he learned about McDermott’s dismissal after the Bills’ playoff loss five months earlier. In that moment, he felt devastated—and he assumed his run in Buffalo could be over too.
“I didn’t see that and think. ‘I want to be the head coach.’ I was broken. ” Brady said on the Shout Buffalo Bills Podcast. “I was broken for a guy that I worked for. I was also broken for the rest of the coaching staff that is sitting there. like. we’re all out of jobs right now. There was a lot of emotion going on.”.
The emotion wasn’t just about one decision. Brady tied it to the way a firing can ripple through a whole staff at once, leaving coaches uncertain about what comes next.
McDermott had hired Brady in 2022 as the Bills’ quarterbacks coach, before promoting him to offensive coordinator in 2023. Brady credited that path to McDermott’s faith, saying his career in Buffalo wasn’t something he built on his own.
“I’m only in Buffalo because of Sean and the opportunities that he gave me,” Brady said.
Even with his own promotion now in place, Brady’s message carried a clear weight: he isn’t trying to replace what McDermott built—he wants to grow from it.
Brady said he’ll take the lessons he learned from McDermott, but he also expects to be a different head coach. He framed it as walking into a different football moment than the one McDermott faced when he took over.
“This organization is in a much better spot than when he took it over. I’m not walking into the same situation that he’s walking into. and there’s so much good that comes from that. ” Brady said. “Sean was an extremely successful head football coach. I hope as I’m coaching I can accumulate the wins he had and the success he had. . . . I don’t want to be Coach McDermott — not in any negative way, but I want to be Joe Brady.”.
The timeline in Brady’s own words is stark: five months after a playoff loss ended McDermott’s time in Buffalo. Brady says he was emotionally crushed by the idea of being swept away too. Now. he’s trying to turn that jolt into a fresh start—one built on gratitude for McDermott’s opportunities. and determination to lead in his own way.
Joe Brady Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills head coach offensive coordinator quarterbacks coach Shout Buffalo Bills Podcast NFL coaching staff 2022 quarterbacks coach 2023 offensive coordinator playoff loss
So he was “broken” lol coaches say that when they get promoted too.
I don’t get why they fired McDermott like that if he was “successful.” Brady sounds dramatic but also kind of makes sense? Like if the head coach goes then everyone freaks out.
Wait, so Brady got hired in 2022 and then McDermott fired him?? Or fired everyone? The article says Brady credits him, but also he thought his time was ending… I’m confused. Either way the Bills front office be doing the most.
Man every time I hear “I was broken” I think somebody was mad at the players or something. Like was it about play calling or just job security? They keep saying he learned from McDermott and the org is in a better spot, but we all know Buffalo fans don’t care about feelings, we care about wins. Hopefully Brady can actually win because these press conference quotes don’t hit the same.