The Buffalo Bills underwent a significant change this offseason, parting ways with head coach Sean McDermott and promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to replace him.

Many people around the league had mixed reactions to the Bills making Brady their next head coach. NFL head coaches and executives weighed in on what they think about Brady’s appointment.

Brady Didn’t Give a Lot of Love From Other NFL Members

On Tuesday, Jeff Howe from The Athletic published an article in which the publication surveyed nine coaches and executives to rank the top coaching hires of this cycle.

“The Athletic asked a panel of nine coaches and executives to rank their top-five head-coaching hires of the cycle,” Howe wrote. “Coaches received five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote, three points for a third-place vote, two points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote. Voters are not employed by any of the 10 teams that just hired a new head coach.”

Brady secured the No. 8 spot on the list, earning six points and one vote for first place. He ranked just ahead of the Cleveland Browns‘ new head coach, Todd Monken, and the Arizona Cardinals head coach, Mike LaFleur, who received zero points.

“Sean McDermott was somewhat surprisingly fired after nine seasons, and the Bills replaced him with his offensive coordinator,” Howe wrote. “Brady joined McDermott’s staff in 2022, so his fit with quarterback Josh Allen was the most obvious attraction.

“Brady was on the fast track after working as LSU’s passing game coordinator in 2019, as Joe Burrow and company had one of the best seasons in college football history. He fell off the radar for a bit after the entire operation failed during his stint as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator, but Brady has been an intriguing coaching candidate. Other teams had shown genuine interest.”

Josh Allen Likely Helped Brady Land the Job

One of the primary reasons the Bills appointed Brady as the head coach was his impressive work with quarterback Josh Allen over the past few seasons. Buffalo brought Brady on board as its quarterback coach in 2022, and by mid-2023, the Bills promoted Brady to interim offensive coordinator after they let Ken Dorsey go.

However, Brady never gave up the offensive coordinator role, and over the past two offseasons, he has been in the running for head coaching roles. All he needed to do was shift down the hall for his head coaching opportunity.

If it hadn’t been for the work Brady did with Allen, he probably wouldn’t have landed the job, and one executive thinks that Brady’s and Allen’s relationship helped him secure it.

“Brady obviously has a good relationship with the QB, so you’ll keep Josh happy,” an executive said, Howe added. “But how much does that do?”

Many people around the NFL will be watching Brady closely, especially since the Bills have fired a head coach who led them to the playoffs in eight of nine seasons and was on the brink of reaching the Super Bowl several times.