ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Sean McDermott era is over, and the Joe Brady era has officially begun in Buffalo. But if you expected the new head coach to change his stripes—or his wardrobe—Khalil Shakir has news for you.
“Joe Brady walked into the building this morning in shorts,” the Bills receiver revealed on the latest episode of Inside the Charge. It’s a small detail, but for a locker room looking for continuity after a turbulent January, it means everything. Brady isn’t changing who he is just because he moved to the big office.
The Man Behind the Breakout
While the “shorts in February” anecdote is pure Buffalo grit, the real story is the bond between Brady and his rising star receiver. Shakir didn’t mince words when asked about Brady’s promotion from Offensive Coordinator to Head Coach earlier this week.
“Joe Brady, to me is, the man who helped my career take off,” Shakir told team reporter Maddy Glab. The numbers back him up. Since Brady took over the offense midway through 2023, Shakir morphed from a depth piece into Josh Allen’s safety valve. He just capped off a career-best 2025 campaign with 76 catches for 821 yards, becoming the engine of Brady’s “Everybody Eats” passing attack.
“He would come into work pumped up… it almost felt like every day he was going to throw on the pads and be there with us. So you have a coach who feels like he wants to be out there with us… I love that guy.” — Khalil Shakir, Bills WR
The “Brady Bump” & What’s Next for 2026
The promotion signals that the Bills front office is betting on offensive continuity to finally get over the hump. Brady’s relationship with Josh Allen was the deciding factor, but Shakir’s endorsement proves the buy-in goes deeper than just the QB1.
The challenge now? Brady must transition from calling plays to managing the entire roster. He inherits a team that has won the AFC East seven straight times but remains ringless. The “shorts mentality”—business as usual, no ego, high energy—might be exactly the culture shift Buffalo needs to survive the gauntlet of the AFC playoffs next year.
