Allen has the accolades, an NFL MVP, four Pro Bowls, two second-team All-Pro nods, numerous records and division titles. What he doesn’t have is top-shelf postseason success. The Bills are 8-7 in the postseason with Allen under center and have failed to get past the AFC Championship game while losing in the division four of the last five years.
Brady’s tasked with taking a roster with holes heading into the 2026 offseason and taking it further than McDermott ever could. In the new coach’s mind, it starts with Allen and extends to the rest of the team.
“17 sets the tone for the culture,” Brady said. “The guys in the locker room set the culture, regardless of who the head coach is, and it’s my job to make sure I let them be their personality, let them play their personality because that’s what the culture is. Like I said, I understand the expectations that come with this job, but it’s important to understand that it’s going to be a new year and we’re going to start over and we’re just going to start over. hey, we’re in a position where, hey, next time [year] we are going to be in the conference.”
As he did after the Bills’ playoff loss, Allen, who had surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot, took ownership of his part in the coaching change.
“I feel like I played a part in that because if I play one more game, that game in Denver, we probably won’t be having this press conference right now,” Allen said. “We’re probably not changing. Honestly, we’re probably getting ready to play a different game.
“I am very fortunate and grateful for Coach McDermott and the path he set for our players. At the same time, I am very [much] looking forward to Joe and everything that comes with him being a head coach and guys getting behind him and rallying behind him and understanding his vision because I believe in it.”
If that vision doesn’t get the Bills to the Super Bowl in the next couple of seasons, it will all be for naught.