The Buffalo Bills firing Sean McDermott not only elevates Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor up the list of longest-tenured coaches in the NFL, it frees up Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady to pursue other opportunities.

The same Joe Brady who was LSU’s passing game coordinator in 2019 when Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase lit up the college football world before coming to Cincinnati.

The same Joe Brady whom many Bengals fans would want to see eventually take Taylor’s place as HC to reunite with Burrow and Chase with the ultimate promotion.

Brady will have options. He’s been in the NFL since 2020 and with the Bills since 2022, taking over as OC in the middle of the 2023 season. What happens to him now first depends on Buffalo’s plans.

Bills could retain Joe Brady as their OC for at least another season

For starters, nothing could change! Brady should be a hot name for OC openings around the league, but his current gig in Buffalo is better than most as quarterback Josh Allen’s play-caller. If Buffalo hires another defensive-minded coach to replace McDermott, keeping the guy who helped Allen become an MVP last season would be in the club’s best interest.

It may take a significant raise to get this done, but the Bills are clearly thinking aggressive in firing their coach two weeks into the postseason.

Brady could be promoted to Bills head coach

Why not? Brady has been interviewing to be a HC for the past couple years and most recently interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens following Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Denver Broncos. Promoting Brady may be the Bills’ best route to maintaining the regular season success they’ve had with Allen, while also giving them a chance at improving on their 8-8 postseason record since McDermott was hired back in 2017.

Buffalo pulling the plug on McDermott this late in the hiring cycle may have everything to do with their confidence in an internal candidate being promoted. The most logical candidate is Brady.

Brady leaves for a new opportunity

Now let’s get to the fun timeline. Brady will have freedom to explore his options that include seven different head-coaching vacancies outside of Buffalo as of Monday morning. Those seven teams will also need new OCs more likely than not, and even the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons are still far away from finalizing their staffs under John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski, respectively.

Again, Brady will have options. He could become the next HC of Baltimore, or the Kansas City Chiefs OC if Matt Nagy leaves.

But what about the Bengals? How do they fit into all of this? Here’s what needs to happen.

Bengals need to face, or make, changes to get Brady

Let’s get one thing clear. Cincinnati will not fire Taylor this month, or this year, just to hire Brady. Not going to happen. Remove it from your fantasies.

The only way Brady is wearing Bengals colors in the fall is if Dan Pitcher leaves to become a HC. He interviewed with the Cleveland Browns and is still in the mix for that gig. His potential departure would open yet another OC gig for Brady to pursue, and this one has the aforementioned connections no other spot has.

“Joe and I go way back, way back at this point,” Burrow said in December. “He was great for my career. We did some fun things together. We’ve got a great relationship. I look forward to seeing him and talking to him.”

Hiring Brady to replace Pitcher would make a ton of sense, but it would not be a straight one-for-one move.

Cincinnati would need to offer Brady play-calling duties

This is ultimately why I don’t see Brady coming to Cincinnati for any non-HC role. Brady’s play-calling is why he’s been a HC candidate for multiple clubs in recent years. There will be other OC vacancies with play-calling in the job description. If that’s not on the table, Brady has no business joining Taylor’s staff. Not even if he was hand-picked as Taylor’s successor if 2026 falls apart.

The path for Brady to Cincinnati involves Pitcher leaving, pursuing an external replacement, and offering the replacement play-calling duties. In reality, Pitcher has yet to leave, and Taylor would likely hire an in-house replacement or just bring back former OC Brian Callahan, and retain play-calling.

Brady is a definitive long shot, but Burrow and Chase’s connection from 2019 will always make him a conversation piece. The dynamic is surely to change in the coming weeks thanks to Buffalo’s bold decision.

Cincinnati Bengals News

Zac Taylor and the Bengals are now under even more pressure to win in 2026 following latest NFL coaching change

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stands alone in a way no one could’ve expected entering 2026.

John Sheeran