It’s taken longer than many LSU Tigers fans may have expected back in 2019, but Joe Brady is in consideration for multiple NFL head coach openings this winter. The play caller for the Tigers’ national title-winning squad flamed out quickly in his first stint as an NFL offensive coordinator, but the fallout from his Carolina Panthers tenure hasn’t trailed him very far.
Now he’s got the Buffalo Bills in the thick of the AFC playoff picture with Josh Allen putting together a performance worthy of MVP votes. And while teams like the New Orleans Saints have requested head coach interviews with Brady, he’s keeping his eyes on the prize. He isn’t worried about balancing playoff stakes with personal ambitions.
“There really doesn’t need to be much of a balance because my focus is strictly on trying to win Super Bowl here and us trying to find a way to win this game this week,” Brady told Buffalo media in the leadup to their wild-card round game with the Denver Broncos.
The Saints aren’t the only team seeking Brady’s time. The New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Jacksonville Jaguars have all reached out to schedule interviews with Brady for their vacant head coach positions. But NFL rules dictate Brady must wait until at least three days have passed after his last playoff game before he can speak with any of them. And even then, initial conversations must be held virtually with a firm time limit. More in-depth talks will have to wait.
And while he’s happy to see those offers filling up his inbox, the rules are the rules, and that’s helped Brady compartmentalize ahead of Sunday’s pivotal matchup: “The reality of it is some of the interviews, if interviews happen would be next week, so nothing for me to even think about right now and just focus on Denver. Do I aspire to be a head coach? Yeah, I would love to, given the right opportunity. I’m honored to even (have) the name be thrown out there, but right now, my focus is find a way to win a football game this week.”
Brady got his start in the NFL as an offensive assistant on Sean Payton’s staff, back in 2017. He’s come a long way from preparing playbook binders and setting up pylons before practice. If he plays his cards right, he could soon be seated behind the same desk he once reported to. But he’ll try and knock Payton and the Broncos out of the playoffs first.
