Joe Brady is under fire after his latest imitation of Buffalo Bills’ president of football operations Brandon Beane.
During an interview at the NFL Scouting Combine, Brady blamed Josh Allen’s lucrative contract for the team’s lack of salary cap flexibility this offseason. It’s a rationalization Beane has used before to explain away the various ill-advised moves he’s made in recent seasons.
“When your quarterback is making as much money as he is, you’re going to have to build through the draft,” said Brady. “You’re going to have to do a lot of those things.”
Brady was referencing where the Bills stand against the salary cap, which the NFL announced on Friday to be $301.2 million. That places Buffalo anywhere from $5-7 million over the cap. With Allen set to produce a $56.3M cap hit in 2026, Brady and Beane have used their quarterback as a crutch to excuse the fact that Beane has placed the team into such dire straits.
Joshua Palmer
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer (5) makes a catch against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison (21) during the first half of the game at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Wide receiver Joshua Palmer's 2026 cap hit is $11.75M. Tight end Dawson Knox's is $17M. Taron Johnson will cost the Bills $11M against the cap this season, while WR Curtis Samuel will post a $9.5M hit.
And on Friday morning, Brady was ripped by WGR 550 morning host Jeremy White for what White termed the head coach's “parroting” of his boss, who signed all of the aforementioned deals that aren't necessarily the most team-friendly for the Bills.
Not having it
White took Brady to task for the latest example that proves the new head coach is nothing more than a pawn in Beane’s game.
“Any time Brady says exactly what Beane says, he’s going to be accused of just being a puppet,” said White on The Jeremy and Joe Show. “He’s going to be accused of being a yes man. And I don’t think Joe Brady has to be that, of course.
Both Joe Brady and Brandon Beane keep referring to Josh Allen's contract as an obstacle to building a strong roster, and it's getting old. pic.twitter.com/EJTG5t5QcK
— WGR 550 (@WGR550) February 27, 2026
“He has his own ideas, he has his own thoughts. And as soon as he’s ready to tell us those thoughts that aren’t direct quotes from the GM, this one especially, about how you’re paying your quarterback a lot of money, you have to make sacrifices, it just—you sound like you are just saying what you’re supposed to say.”
White elaborated: “There’s a difference between going against and simply not parroting the same line. … Josh Allen is your best contract, he’s at the most important position, he’s paid well, but you get more than you could ever dream of on that investment based on how good he is.”
All salient points, which make Brady look foolish after his umpteenth media appearance since he was hired. In a sense, you can’t blame him, as he has been shoved in front of the camera like a show horse since he was minted as the team’s new head coach. With that said, he would be best advised to take a different approach than the one he has taken in repeating the same talking points as Beane.
Because the whole “alignment” bit is already getting old.