If second-chance head coaches are en vogue this hiring cycle, it makes sense that a coordinator would also receive significant interest. And that is where Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady finds himself amid the Chicago Bears’ interview process.
Brady, in his second year in Buffalo, has rebounded quite well from his first stint at OC, spent with the Carolina Panthers.
Joe Brady Making Most of 2nd Act Amid Bears HC Interview Process
Record as OC: (BUF: 19-5, CAR: 10-18)
Playoff Record: 2-1
Bears Looking for the Results Joe Brady Has Delivered
Brady coached Bills quarterback Josh Allen to a potential first MVP with a league-leading 77.5 Total QBR. The Bills boasted the No. 2 scoring offense and the No. 10 total offense during the regular season.
Buffalo had the No. 4 total offense and was sixth in scoring in 2023 when he took over for predecessor Ken Dorsey in November of that year.
It was a veritable reversal of fortunes for Brady.
He spent the 2022 season as the Bills’ quarterbacks coach, but he was the Carolina Panthers OC for two seasons before that. That tenure ended with five games to go in his second season, and the Panthers ended the campaign on a seven-game skid.
The Panthers’ offense ranked in the 20s under Brady, and he was eventually replaced by Jeff Nixon, followed by Ben McAdoo in 2022, and Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown in 2023.
Brady had a two-year stint as a New Orleans Saints offensive assistant (2017-2018).
There was a one-year stint as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for LSU. The Tigers won the national championship with Joe Burrow, now of the Cincinnati Bengals, manning the quarterback spot.
Brady also had two-year stints with Penn State and William & Mary, where he began his coaching career, before making his initial leap to the NFL.
He has a preexisting relationship with Bears QB Caleb Williams, too.
Joe Brady’s Lack of Experience Could Be Too Much to Overcome
The Bears set out this offseason seeking a “leader of men,” according to general manager Ryan Poles, though what that means specifically remains nebulous. At any rate, there are sure to be questions about that for Brady..
As well known as the dysfunction in Carolina has been in recent years, he should answer for his role in it. But even with his years of experience, few of them are as a play-caller.
None of those years were spent as a head coach.
That is the needle the Bears must thread with a roster built to at least be more competitive than it was last season. They have poured a lot of assets into that side of the ball, so the right coordinator hire could do wonders for an HC candidate like Brady.
It could take another hiring cycle – or maybe just a Super Bowl run by the Bills – for Brady to solidify his standing among the head coaching candidates.
The Bears have far too much riding on this hire to take such a risk, however calculated.