Bills hire longtime NFL head coach John Fox to Joe Brady's staff for 2026
A longtime NFL head coach who twice led a team to the Super Bowl was among the 20 assistants named Friday to Joe Brady's first staff with the Buffalo Bills.
A longtime NFL head coach who twice led a team to the Super Bowl was among the 20 assistants named Friday to Joe Brady's first staff with the Buffalo Bills.
John Fox brings 16 years of head coaching experience as a senior defensive coach under Brady, who's transitioning from the Bills offensive coordinator to Sean McDermott's replacement. Fox filled a similar advisory role with the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Bills senior assistant coach John Fox was a head coach for 16 seasons, leading the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears.
Paul Sancya, Associated Press
Fox, 71, led the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII – Bills general manager and president of football operations Brandon Beane's sixth season with the franchise – and the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl XLVIII. He was head coach of the Panthers from 2002 through 2010, before he moved on to the Broncos (2011-14) and Chicago Bears (2015-17). His teams won six division titles, including four straight in Denver.
Fox was an important addition for Brady as he prepares to balance play-calling with his role of a head coach. At least three of his position coaches are under the age of 40. The Bills defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard, has never called plays in the NFL.
Most of the Bills staff had been announced or confirmed since Brady became the youngest head coach in the NFL, but there were a few important updates revealed Friday.
Jason Rebrovich, a Clarence native, is returning as assistant defensive line coach. Rebrovich previously worked in Buffalo under Rex Ryan and re-joined the Bills in 2025 following a stint with the Green Bay Packers.
Brady told reporters last week that tight ends coach Rob Boras was retained, but Boras also added the title of run game coordinator. Aaron Kromer, the Bills offensive line coach, held that unofficial role until his retirement last month. Joe Danna, the Bills safeties coach the past three seasons, had his title changed by Brady and Leonhard to secondary coach.
Pete Carmichael (offensive coordinator), Leonhard (defensive coordinator) and Jeff Rodgers (special teams coordinator) were previously announced by the Bills and introduced to the media during press conferences last week. Brady confirmed the appointments of Kelly Skipper (running backs), Pat Meyer (offensive line), Austin Gund (assistant offensive line), Bo Hardegree (quarterbacks), Marc Lubick (pass game specialist/game management), D.J. Mangas (assistant wide receivers), Turner West (assistant special teams), Alvin Vaughn (defensive assistant), Milli Wilson (offensive assistant/fellowship coach) and Kyle Shurmur (assistant quarterbacks).
Here are several other noteworthy staff additions by Brady, including each coach's background and a statistic worth considering.
Drew Terrell, WR coach
Previous job: Passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, Arizona Cardinals.Background: Terrell, 34, played wide receiver at Stanford for Jim Harbaugh and previously worked in the NFL with the Panthers (offensive quality control coach) and Washington Commanders (assistant receivers coach, then promoted to receivers coach).
Notable statistic: Cardinals third-year wide receiver Michael Wilson broke out in 2025 with 78 catches for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns. The team's passing attack also ascended with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, as the journeyman passed for 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns in 12 games.
Bobby April III, OLB coach
Previous job: Defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Stanford.Background: Before working with Leonhard at Wisconsin, April coached the Bills linebackers for Ryan in 2015 and ’16. April's father, Bobby April Jr., won special teams coach of the year while working for the Bills. The younger April ran Stanford's defense for three seasons.
Notable statistic: At Wisconsin, April coached now-Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig, who led the Big Ten with 11 sacks in 2022.
John Egorugwu, ILB coach
Previous job: Inside linebackers coach with New York Giants.Background: Egorugwu worked under McDermott from 2017 through 2022, starting as a defensive quality control coach before he was promoted to assistant linebackers coach. Egorugwu eventually joined Brian Daboll with the Giants.
Notable statistic: Bobby Okereke, one of Egorugwu's inside linebackers for the Giants, led the team in 2025 with 143 total tackles.
Terrance Jamison, DL coach
Previous job: Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at the University of Illinois under Leonhard's former boss, Bret Bielema.Background: The former University of Wisconsin defensive lineman bounced around college football at the start of his coaching career, with stops at Cal, Florida Atlantic, Air Force and Purdue.
Notable statistic: Johnny Newton, one of Jamison's defensive tackles at Illinois, joined the Commanders as a second-round draft pick in 2024. With Jamison as his position coach, Newton became a consensus All-American and the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year.
Jay Valai, CB coach
Previous job: Assistant head coach for defense, co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach at the University of Oklahoma.Background: Valai, 38, was a four-year letter-winner as a cornerback at Wisconsin, and his coaching career began in 2016 as defensive quality control at Georgia. Valai spent one season with the Kansas City Chiefs as a defensive quality control coach before he returned to college football at Rutgers, Texas and Alabama. In 2025, Valai developed a pair of freshmen All-American cornerbacks, Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory. The Sooners gave Valai another raise one week before he was hired by Leonhard and Brady.
"He's a great coach," former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops recently said of Valai on KREF Radio. "He did an incredible job here, I thought. Watching our young corner this past year as a true freshman was really special. ... I always loved running into Jay. He's a really positive guy and a great coach."
Notable statistic: The Sooners ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense last season, allowing just 15.46 points per game.
Craig Robertson, def. quality control
Previous job: NFL linebacker with the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints from 2011 through 2020.Background: Robertson was one of Leonhard's teammates in Cleveland during the 2014 season and played for the Saints while Brady was an offensive assistant for Sean Payton from 2017-18. Robertson, 38, played in 136 games across nine NFL seasons.
Notable statistic: Robertson led the Saints with 115 total tackles in 2016.
